Whilst wandering through the crazy land of wonderful things that is the Internet I came across Perfume (パフューム), an up-and-coming techno/electro-pop group from Hiroshima, who have recently released a rather catchy new track “Polyrhythm” (ポリリズム). The heavily synthesized style shares a striking resemblance to two of my other favourites - Polysics and Capsule. [via]
To promote the single they also did a recycling awareness video, an interesting synergy to say the least!
I always find it interested to see how technology (past, present or futuristic) permeates into popular culture and in particular Japan, where it seems to be embraced unlike anywhere else. Art mirroring life, life mirroring art or commercialism wrapped up in a placebonic package?
I’m not one from playing games usually but I found myself surprisingly addicted to this ingenious little flash puzzle:
It works on the principle that you have to work with yourself to be able to reach the top level (floor) by replaying your cursor path each time the clock runs out and hence you help yourself along the way (have a go to see what I mean). How long does it take you to reach the 16th floor?! [via]
I’ve also always liked the look of Portal, a rather sophisticated teleportation game, based on the Half-Life engine praised for its unique gameplay and dark, deadpan humor. Somehow these sort of games appeal to me more than the usual killing fields in first-person shooters but then again there is something rather cathartic about them
Last year Information Architects Japan released the very cool 2007 web trends map. They’ve just posted a “sneak peak” of the new version for 2008 and, whilst it retains the previous general look and feel, it’s even better than before! Now presented using an isometric layout based on the Kantō region as its geographic metaphor the map shows some interesting ideas with Dataportability.org already making an appearance and Google’s Android getting pride of place in Akihabara, the otaku mecca.
I’ll be looking forward to seeing the final full-sized version.
Update (25/01): Beta version of the final map now available!
“Philosophy As users, our identity, photos, videos and other forms of personal data should be discoverable by, and shared between our chosen tools or vendors. We need a DHCP for Identity. A distributed File System for data. The technologies already exist, we simply need a complete reference design to put the pieces together.
Mission To put all existing technologies and initiatives in context to create a reference design for end-to-end Data Portability. To promote that design to the developer, vendor and end-user community.”
Finally a credible move towards being able to move personal data between services. Whilst the reality of this is still a way off it’s good to see the likes of Google, Facebook & Flickr on board. Small steps towards a more joined-up future… (whilst giving privacy nuts a new challenge!).
Cosmetic surgery clinics are pervasive in Korea with advertisements cheerfully proclaiming the many benefits you will reap if you have this or that done to your body, mainly targeted towards young women. Whilst I personally put this firmly in the category of self-mutilation there is no doubt that the prevalence of such services can only be a reflection on Korean society and its seeming obsession with self image and appearance. Walking around the streets of Myeong-dong and Dongdaemun in central Seoul you see many trendy young people spending copious amounts of (their parents?) money in expensive looking boutiques; it seems fairly clear that fashion is in the lifeblood of this county’s youth (see FeetManSeoul for an idea of what I mean).
An article in the Financial Times this week about the rise of Korean fashion students & designers reminded me of all this and it makes some interesting observations between China and Korea:
“I was born in Korea but I conduct business in China a lot and I’ve realised that Chinese culture is very much focused on food and culinary experiences. Koreans focus more on appearances and therefore fashion is a bigger part of the culture.”
…which is an interesting comparison but still doesn’t quite provide an explanation for why Koreans are so concerned about image. I guess I would need to study ethnography to answer this one but I’m guessing the idolisation of western celebrities is partly to blame somewhere. Globalisation and the increasing intermixing of cultures (both through popular culture and mixed marriages) may also provide a clue manifesting itself in the way we see each other and a subconscious need to further bridge the gap between races. Is this rather warped sense of beauty resulting in a leveling effect taking place?
According to the BBC conservative estimates suggest that over 50% of Korean women in their 20s have undergone, often very expensive, plastic surgery and many spend upwards of 30% of their income on “looking good”. To my mind there is something very wrong here, especially considering that just a few miles north of the border thousands are starving and living in abstract poverty.
At the end of the day isn’t beauty is only skin deep? I think I’ll stick with the culinary experiences!
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