qualcomm

I'm pretty sure that the year of 2006 is now ending. To tell the truth, I've been feeling so for days. Looking at the bleak sky at dusk, everybody would agree with me.

international business machines

Different parts of the globe have different versions of computers. Japanese boards have Japanese characters on buttons. The displays and the interfaces are also in Japanese. I asked a computer company helpdesk if it was possible to switch the display language to English. We can't change it as long as we use Japanese versions of operating system (e.g., Japanese Windows XP), they told me. That is, Japanese computers are very Japanese. So many avid computer geeks visit Japan to buy the version for their computer collections.

intel inside

At last, we got the first snow this season. We got an awesome 0.5 cm of snow this morning. However, it disappeared by the noon as the temperature went up. It is still snowing. Since the ground is warm enough, snow melts away immediately after it falls onto the ground.

beyonce

Mind-numbing... I might die of being bored.

virology

Norwalk, Ohio. Do you know of the city? Although few Japanese know it, most of them know about a totally unwelcome thing from the city. It's a virus named Norovirus.

The virus was named after an outbreak in the city in 1968. Now, Norovirus outbreak in Japan is one of the big health problems. It causes transmissible gastroenteritis. Two of my family got it. My turn is next?

leukemia

At least one beholder seems to have limnological interest. Meeting the person's curiosity, I'd like to present a microscopic appearance of the lake. Yes. It's a pic of plankton in the lake. I should explain about it. But I'm not a limnologist. I don't know much about plankton. So, would you settle for the photo alone?

fort lauderdale

My father and I went on a trek in a mountain north of my city. Our destination was a gorge stretching to the mountain ridge. The last time we visited there was more than fifteen years ago.

Snow stayed on the bottom of the gorge. I touched snow for the first time this year. We enjoyed a splendid vista. I should post pics of our trek's highlights. But I forgot to bring a camera with me. So, would you settle for my drawing?

cherokee

Milvus migrans is the commonest raptor in Japan. You can see them throughout the country. In many countries, birds of prey are significant because of their appearances and cool hunting skills. So are they in Japan. However, we don't necessarily think of this species that way. They seldom prey on animals. They are rather scavengers. This characteristic makes them less impressive. Besides, they are too common for us to respect.

subway

I found some of the blog audiences really romantic. Impressed...

Sadly, I must disappoint the romantics. I must tell that there are no stars in our holes. No matter how extensively you explore the caves, you'll find nothing but excrement. That's reality.

artificial anus

If you call me an asshole, it will surely hurt me.

blowin' in the fart

♪ ♪ ♪

How many times must I break gas
Before it runs?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the fart,
The answer is blowin' in the fart.

♪ ♪ ♪

tellurium tetrachloride

The city is floating above the lake. Compare these two pics, the bottome one is an usual image. This phenomenon is known as ''mirage''. I think you've encountered another mirage on the road on hot summer days-i.e. highway mirage. If you don't get the picture, you can visit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirage

You see what a highway mirage looks like. Both a floating-city mirage and a highway mirage are caused by the identical mechanism.

When the air above the lake is cooler than the lake's temperature, we can observe such phenomena. This condition seems to be easily satisfied in this lake. We see the cities floating pretty often.

Nd:YAG-laser

Bathroom..., it is a most relaxing spot for me. Maybe not only for me, perhaps also for you. I'd like to discuss Japanese lavatory bowl in today's article. Japanese basin is very flat.
You may not be familiar with this model. Although chair-shaped one, which you would be more used to, is also available here in Japan, I strongly recommend you to try the flat model. I found that this model helps you squeeze your intestine more than the chair-shaped counterpart does. This means that more shit will come out, just like you get tooth paste as you squeeze the paste tube. If you have no idea about how to use the powerful bowl, just stop by my office. I can tutor you free of charge.

du pont

You might have been to Lake Leman (Lake Geneva) in Switzerland. Or at least, many of you know of the croissant-shaped lake. Sadly, I must tell you that there exist leeches even in the beautiful glacier lake. Here is the evidence. It is a leech specimen collected from the lake.

The biggest interest in my life is to find leech-free countries. Switzerland was among the strongest candidates. Now it's gone though.

united airlines

Sorry, so sorry. In the last post, I posted the photo upside down. Here, posted correctly. In Japan, the lower, the better. So the shorter a guy is, the handsomer he is. You can see that I am pretty important 'cos my office is pretty close to the ground. I'm guessing that less valuable people around on the top floor must be feeling dizzy at the ridiculous height. But, of course, I'm not. I actually got promoted to the bottom floor yesterday. Over this weekend, I am busy moving down to the new office. I won't have to worry fire any longer, which is good.

like a rolling stone

The room pointed with arrow is my editorial office. I'm blogging there. You can visit me whenever you want, with no appointment. You're most welcome!

gateway alias

The gate, which is about 400 years old, has never opened in history, the caption says. However, the description doesn't explain why. Does this ever-closed door has any religious significance? What if somebody opens it? I'll try someday.

texas instruments

The previous post seems extremely sensational. I got tons of mixed responses from around the globe. Some applauded, and some suspected that the object in the photo was a syringe against the blue background. Well, it is, however, a real rod. You see the rod standing on the building. The smaller pic gives its close look.

gary fisher

The possibility that lightning strikes a given point would be extremely slim. Then, most lightning rods wouldn't be hit by lightning throughout their lives, I guess. The rod in the photo, perhaps, has never done its job because the tip looks new. I wonder what I want to say...

verizon communications

The ancient Japanese who had this shit would not so much as have imagined that his/her own crap would be exhibited like a royal gem. Besides, labled in a foreign language. I found this at a museum. The caption says it was excavated from a ruin site estimated to be some thousands of years old.

After this fossile, I buried my shit in my backyard (I can't tell the exact location. sorry). Someday in the future, perhaps in a few thousand years from now, some archeologists might study it seriously. My excrement could even join museum collections! Fabulous. Orgasmically, fabulous.

NTT communications

You may feel that the sky over Japan is less blue, if you are from drier countries. When I was in the Midwest, where is less humid than Japan, I was impressed with the intense blue sky. And, of course, vice versa. This seems not a mere subjective perception.

The linked article below also supports my belief. Water vapor particles in the atmosphere seem to make the sky less blue. I took the pic just after the rain let up. So the air contains ample amout of water molecules, and few dusts since the rain washed them away. What do you think of the color?
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4196/is_20011002/ai_n10731255

molecular biology

I think this paperweight is really cool. I wonder how it was produced. There are several metal balls floating inside the clear box. The box is completely seamless. If you come up with any idea, let me know.

SBC communications

Many Japanese would agree that red is one of the colors which represent Japanse fall. Indeed, the Japanese word referring to the autumn colors of leaves is ko-yo. Ko is red, and yo means leaves.

Around this time in an average year, all leaves would have already gone. However, this year, we have exceptionally warm fall. So the autumn color is still with us. Well, it's somewhat mixed-blessing. I wonder we'll have less snow this year. I don't like brown winter.