Top 10 Strangest Japanese Gadgets and Accessories

10. Vibrating Optical Mouse

This device not only acts as a fully functional optical mouse, it also includes a built-in vibration motor for stress relief. Available in white or silver colors, this mouse features USB connectivity and is priced at $22.

"It’s also only compatible with Windows, so Mac and Linux users will have to find another way to combine the dionysian pleasures of vibration and gadgets."

9. The Sauce Dispensing Chopsticks

With these sauce dispensing chopsticks you'll never have to dip your sushi in soy sauce again For $21, you can purchsae two pairs of these chopsticks -- made from polypropylene and ABS.

8. Cardboard Speakers

MUJI (best known in Japan for their innovative yet simple products) introducesa new line of cardboard speakers, which consist of "a few" electronic components and ship unfolded in a clear plastic pouch -- so fold them up and they're ready to use.

7. The Head Bath Cap

If you've been waiting for a cap that gives your head/hair a good bath than the solution is here. Presenting the "Head Bath" cap, just place it over your head and let water start running into it. This gadget not only looks funny, but supposedly "helps your hair grow faster and fuller" by penetrating the pores in your scalp with the trapped water.

6. Ear Wax Camera/Cleaner

Put simply, this is one of the strangest gadgets we've come across. This device sports a camera/light at one end and a viewer at the other end -- allowing users to see built-up ear wax. It's powered by a single 9V battery and is made from anti-bacterial ASB resin/glass/stainless steel.

"Though it’s not really a common topic of dinner conversation in the States — “Who’s been cleaning your ears at Yale, Son?” — the Japanese have a certain fondness for the act of ear cleaning."

5. Nap Alarm

This nifty little device goes behind your ear and vibrates when it detects you are falling asleep by measuring the speed of head movements (head nodding, etc.). Perfect for boring classes, drives, and work. It costs only $15 (1,800 yen).

"With the Nap Alarm, waking up 15 minutes before said exam may be a thing of the past, though falling asleep while driving is another matter entirely."

4. Futuristic Japanese Automatic Door

This nifty door has a built-in infrared sensor that identifies the person or object and conforms to their shape when opening.

3. Japanese Air-Shower System

This Japanese air-shower system is situated in a 2 m (tall) x 90 cm (wide) chamber and uses 12 nozzles to blow off any allergens (pollen and dust) found on the body/clothes.

"The person who came up with the idea to place the air-shower in the building suffers from hay fever. The company is now considering the possibility of developing another housing complex equipped with the air-shower system."

2. MP3 Toilet

Technically, it's not a stand alone MP3 player, but rather one that works with your toilet. This SD memory based player attaches to the wall above your toilet and includes a special receiver that goes under the toilet seat -- how sanitary.

1. Robot Hand Controlled by Human Thought

Research Institute Japan and Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR) have partnered to develop a robot hand that uses "functional magnetic resonance imaging to scan a person’s brain" and then maps the scans to hand actions.

"Though the scientists say they need “several breakthroughs in related technologies, including those for brain scanning hardware, before this type of non-invasive systems will be used in daily life”, this provides hope for amputees to someday have a mechanical limb that works as well as their original one."

Honorable Mention - Remocon Saucer

If you like the idea of using one device to control your home appliances while away from home, check out this nifty Japanese gadget called the Remocon Saucer. A potential negative, the Remocon needs its own cell phone to function. Once connected, you're able to dial-in and have it carry out predefined commands like turning on/off the TV, etc.

"The connection between the Remocon Saucer and FOMA handset is done via earphone mic jack. The handsets that can be connected are the P901i, P901iS, P700i, P701iD, P902i, N901iC, N901iS, N700i, N701i, N902i, Nevica-F, and AirView 2"

Honorable Mention - USB Flash Drives With Manga

If you like reading "Cyborg 009," "Kouchounin Mippei.," and/or "Oni Tarou Collection" Japanese manga, than your'e in luck. Buffalo Corp. Japan is releasing 256MB USB flash drives called "WebClipDrive" that come preloaded with electronic versions of these comics. They measure 70.6 x 16.6 x 9.4 mm and priced at $26 USD.

"Using the USB memory's auto-run function, users can access an electronic book site created specifically for the RUF-CAR-EB series. To view the free contents, users will need to register as an eBookJapan user and obtain the viewing software. These free contents are supported under Windows Me, 2000, and XP."

p/s: Very extraordinary and high tech of future gadgets. I like it!

15 Style Mistakes You Can Fix Now

Let's face it, we all need help sometimes. And like it or not, we're judged by how we look and how we handle ourselves in social and professional settings.

The 15 style tips below aren't meant to turn you into a metrosexual—none, for instance, will instruct you to blow $600 on a pair of shoes. These tips are for the everyday guy. They're meant to help you gain confidence when you walk into a meeting or the next cocktail party, and they'll help make your wife or girlfriend feel proud to stand next to you. You're a grown man—it's time your wardrobe grew up too.

But, remember, it's not about being trendy, it's about looking good. Just follow these tips to looking better.

1. Match your belt and shoes. If you're wearing black shoes, put on a black belt. And brown shoes demand a brown belt. A good, general rule is to never mix the color of your leathers.

2. For crying out loud, pull your pants down. You may be pushing 40, but you don't need to hike up your pants like you're ready to start walking the mall. And it's even worse if you tuck in your shirt like Napoleon Dynamite.

3. On the flip side, pull up your pants. Seeing some 19-year-old's boxer shorts is bad enough; we don't need to see your tighty whities. You should have stopped buying "baggy cut" jeans years ago.

4. Pay attention to your shoes. You could be wearing $100 jeans with a sharp-looking shirt, but you'll still embarrass your wife or girlfriend with those old loafers that should have been pitched in the 1990s. Buy quality shoes that look smart and stylish. Remember, people check out shoes. Potential employers often will look at them to judge a candidate's attention to detail. Good rule of thumb: Spend your money on shoes, not shirts and pants. Also, match your socks to your shoes (very easy) or at least make sure they are a nice "bridge" from the shoes to the pants. Save the tube socks for the gym and lounging on weekends.

5. Wear clothes that fit properly. At this age, trying to look trendy is a cry for help. And just because that fitted (another term for "your nipples are showing") medium T-shirt looks good on Jake Gyllenhaal, that doesn't mean it looks good on you.

6. A side note to No. 5; if you're short and stocky, don't wear horizontal stripes—you'll look 3 feet tall. (My wife has to remind me of this once a year).

7. Don't worry if you're a little chunky; just wear what looks good on a guy with a little heft. You can't go wrong with black. It's slimming, classy and makes you reek of confidence.

8. Put away the tank top—even at the gym. You're not 12 years old anymore, and no one wants to smell your pits.

9. If your woman's not happy, you're not happy. After getting ready to go out, if you see concern on her face when she looks you over, change your clothes. There's a 98.9 percent chance she's right.

10. Man boobs are our kryptonite, and we have to fight back. They're an immediate turnoff to women, even though most don't mind a plump guy. Attack the problem head-on: Go to the gym, and wear clothes that don't cling to your body. We have Phil Mickelson to thank for officially raising this to a national emergency. We're at Defcon 1.

11. If you wear glasses, remember they're a window into who you are. Update them at least every other year and consider style when choosing them. And don't skimp. Expensive glasses are infinitely better than those $50 specs on special at the local mall.

12. Drop the baseball hat. Yes, it was standard issue in college, but those days are gone. The only exceptions to this rule: Working in the yard, casually hanging out, or playing drums for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

13. If you have to wear cologne, tone it down. You get points for wanting to smell good, but those points are immediately taken away when your co-workers can smell you in the break room—10 minutes after you left. Just spray a small amount into the air and walk through it. Less is more.

14. If you have a hairy chest, you cannot wear a V-neck without an undershirt. This is not 1977 and your name isn't Smokey. Or Simon Cowell, for that matter.

15. No socks with sandals. And if you do wear open-toed sandals, keep your feet groomed. Have you even looked down there since last summer? Trust us on this one.

p/s: It is so embarrassing if you're not zip pants while walking in shopping mall.. =P

Shopping on Limited Budget

Next to the cost of gas, food is one of the most expensive recurring bills that any household is faced with. With food though, we are faced with a problem in that we cannot go without food. We kind of need it to survive. So, what can be done to lower this bill, and allow families to have more cash for other needed things? There are several things that can be done to help with this situation.

Sample: Weekly Menu

Create a weekly menu- This means that you try to plan ahead each of the meals that you are going to be having, and shop accordingly. It is much easier to stay within a budget having planned out each of your meals. The reason for this is that you have a list right in front of you, and as long as you stick to that list, there is less impulse buying going on.

Pick your shopping day- Pick one day a week, and only one, that you are going to do your grocery shopping. Personally, I would suggest that you go near the end of the week, as this is usually when the better deals are coming out as the stores have to start moving some of their "expired" food. I say "expired" because, while it is not really expired, most stores go through their products, and get rid of food if it is past the sell by date. This food is still good, and you can usually get it at a discounted price.

Stay away from instant products- Those wonderful instant, and time saving products and meals are actually a whole lot more expensive, than if you purchased each of the ingredients separately and cooked them yourself. Take that extra time used to cook and spend it with your family. One way that you could do this would be to use that time to teach your children how to cook.

Become a coupon clipper- Take the time to go through your Sunday paper, and clip out the coupons for the products that your family uses. This ensures that you will save even more money, particularly if you go on the day of the week when the store starts to rotate it's products around.

Eat prior to shopping- This may sound extremely silly to you, because I know that it did when I first heard it. What's really silly about this is that it really works! Have you ever noticed that when you shop hungry, you buy more (much, much more) than you originally planned? This is because you are shopping with your stomach, and not your head. By having a light snack prior to making a store run, you end up reducing the risk of impulse shopping.

Use a calculator- If you really want to stay within your budget, be sure that you bring a calculator along with you so that you can do so. As you are shopping, either add the price of each item up, or subtract the price from your total budget for that trip. This way you are going to know exactly how much you have left for your use, and so that you do not get a nasty sticker shock when finished.

p/s: Hope this tips can help you before celebration of Hari Raya..

Ramadhan - Month of Honourable

In a few days, muslim will be celebrate Ramadhan or Eid Al-Mubarak. Firstly, what is mean of Ramadhan? Let's talk about it.

Ramadan (Arabic: رمضان, Ramaḍan) is a Muslim religious observance that takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, believed to be the month in which the Qur'an began to be revealed.

Name of Origin
The name "Ramadan" is taken from the name of this month; the word itself derived from an Arabic word for intense heat, scorched ground, and shortness of rations. It is considered the most venerated and blessed month of the Islamic year. Prayers, sawm (fasting), charity, and self-accountability are especially stressed at this time; religious observances associated with Ramadhan are kept throughout the month.

Laylat al Qadr, which falls during the last third, commemorates the revelation of the first verses of the Qur'an and is considered the most holy night of the year. Ramadan ends with the holiday Eid ur-Fitr, on which feasts are held. During the month following Ramadan, called Shawwal, Muslims are encouraged to fast for a further six days.

Practices During Ramadhan

• Fasting

The most prominent event of this month is the fasting (sawm) practiced by most observant Muslims. Every day during the month of Ramadan, Muslims around the world get up before dawn to eat the Suhoor meal (the pre dawn meal) and perform their fajr prayer. They break their fast when the fourth prayer of the day, Maghrib (sunset), is due.

During Ramadan, Muslims are expected to put more effort into following the teachings of Islam and to avoid obscene and irreligious sights and sounds. Sexual activities during fasting hours are also forbidden. Purity of both thought and action is important. The fast is intended to be an exacting act of deep personal worship in which Muslims seek a raised level of closeness to God Almighty. The act of fasting is said to redirect the heart away from worldly activities, its purpose being to cleanse the inner soul and free it from harm. Properly observing the fast is supposed to induce a comfortable feeling of peace and calm. It also allows Muslims to practice self-discipline, sacrifice, and sympathy for those who are less fortunate, intended to make Muslims more generous and charitable. Muslims can eat after the sun has set. Pregnant women, the elderly, the ill and children less than 12 years of age are all exempt from fasting as lack of food could damage health.

• Prayer and the Reading of Al-Quran

In addition to fasting, Muslims are encouraged to read the entire Qur'an.

Sunni Muslims tend to perform the recitation of the entire Qur'an by means of special prayers, called Tarawih, which are held in the mosques every night of the month, during which a whole section of the Qur'an (juz, which is 1/30 of the Qur'an) is recited, so that by the end of the month the entire Qur'an has been completed. Tarawih is an Arabic phrase referring to those extra prayers. This prayer is performed after salah of Isha' a, but before the witr rakat. Tarawih is an innovation introduced into Islam by the second Caliph umar so is not practiced by Shia Muslims.

Muslims also pay Zakat (only applicable if one can afford it) during the month. For those who qualify to pay Zakaat, as per the Islamic Nisab (that is those whose wealth exceeds their necessities), of the leftover of their wealth earned in that Islamic calendar year. Although Zakat can be paid any time of the year, it has to be calculated on a year to year basis, and many Muslims use Ramadan as the month for calculation and disbursement.

Ramadan is also a time when Muslims are to slow down from worldly affairs and focus on self reformation, spiritual cleansing and enlightenment, establishing a link between God Almighty and themselves by prayer, supplication, charity, good deeds, kindness and helping others.

Since it is a festival of giving and sharing, Muslims prepare special foods and buy gifts for their family and friends and for giving to the poor and needy who cannot afford it, this can involve buying new clothes, shoes and other items of need. There is also a social aspect involved - the preparing of special foods and inviting people for the Iftar meal (the meal to break the Fast).

In many Muslim and non Muslim countries with large Muslim populations, markets close down in the evening to enable people to perform prayers and consume the Iftar meal (the meal to end the fast) - these markets then re-open and stay open for a good part of the night. Muslims can be seen shopping, eating, spending time with their friends and family during the evening hours.

• Events of Ramadhan

Laylat al-Qadr (Arabic: لیلة القدر) (known as Shab-e Qadr in Persian), literally the "Night of Decrees" or "Night of Measures", is the anniversary of two very important dates in Islam that occurred in the month of Ramadan. Muslims believe that it was the night of the Laylat al-Qadr that the Quran's first verse was revealed. The exact night of the Laylat al-Qadr is only known to God and Muhammed but he chose to keep it to himself so that Muslims won't pray only that night. That is why Muhammad indicated that it was one of the last ten odd nights of Ramadan.

The Islamic holiday of Eid ul-Fitr(Arabic: عيد الفطر) marks the end of the fasting period of Ramadan and the first day of the following month, after another new moon has been sighted. The Eid falls after 29 or 30 days of fasting, as per the lunar sighting. Eid ul-Fitr means the Festival of Breaking the Fast, a special celebration is made. Food is donated to the poor (‘Zakat al-Fitr’), everyone puts on their best, preferably new, clothes, and communal prayers are held in the early morning, followed by feasting and visiting relatives and friends. The prayer is two rakaahs only, and it is an optional prayer as opposed to the compulsory 5 daily prayers. According to one current school of thought (Ankaboot), it is suggested that North American Muslims arrange their work-schedule for Eid by requesting the two most likely days of Eid as Holidays or simply as days off from work. This allows for quality family time, and is akin to the Christian/North American tradition of taking Christmas and Christmas Eve off as holidays. This also allows for time off to celebrate the Eid prayer at a mosque and with family. The fast always ends after 29 or 30 days of fasting, and thus the request would be for the 29th and 30th day after the start of the fast.

Muslims are encouraged to fast six days in shawwal, the month following Ramadan that begins after Eid ul-Fitr; these days need not be consecutive. According to hadith, one who fasts the month of Ramadan and six days during Shawwal will be rewarded as though he fasted the entire year.

p/s: I hope Ramadhan this year will meant for me =)

Beginner's Guide to Swimming

This guide are special to guide for anyone who don't know how to swim as any happen in emergency or survive yourself. I hope it will help you someday or make swim as your favorite activity.

As a beginning swimmer, the water can seem like a difficult substance to work with. However, with more time spent in the pool and a few easy, key techniques, you'll be zipping through it in no time. With this article I'll explain a few exercises and techniques for swimming "freestyle" to help get you going.

There are a couple of tools that help immensely in swimming. The most important is a good pair of goggles. You can find these at any sporting goods store. When choosing the right pair, try and determine which shape most closely matches that of your eye socket, and whether you would find rubber, foam, or plastic to be most comfortable. The shape and substance of the edge of the goggles should provide a firm seal around your eye, preventing water from entering and allowing you a clear view underwater. I like a hard-nosed goggle made by Speedo. My other equipment recommendation is a swim cap for those with longer hair or dry scalps. This will keep your hair from floating into your face, as well as protecting it from chlorine damage. These are also available at sporting goods stores, and are usually very inexpensive.

Swimmers are encouraged to stand with heels at the back of the starting blocks before each dive. On "Take your marks," a step forward is taken to allow the feet to be placed at the front edge of the block. The knees are bent and the body relaxed. The swimmer will grab or hold onto the front of the block with two hands. Hands are placed between legs.

Teaching Points

1. Upper body overbalances towards the water.
2. Arms are pushed forward.
3. Legs are straightened and push the body forward. The arms and head are streamlined.
4. Swimmers fingers break the water first, followed by body and feet last.
5. Body follows into the water through the same hole made by the hands; the body is kept straight and streamlined.
6. Six flutter kicks under water; the first stroke starts as the body rises to the surface, one arm recovers over the water.

Grab starting block and lean balanced body toward water.

Extend legs and arms — streamline and push off starting block.

Body follows hands into water, maintaining streamline position.

Body rises to water surface and stroke begins.

p/s: enjoy this tips! and happy swimming day..