Faces Of Granular Synthesis

“According to their website, they made their own software: VARP 9 a proprietary audio-video re-synthesis software, developed by GranularSynthesis and Dirk Langheinrich in 1997-1999. It is a sample based MIDI software instrument that streams from RAM. It works in realtime in full PAL video resolution and frame rate. It allows accessing and allocating single frames at 25f/sec. At this video grain rate it is capable of audiovisual granular synthesis.” — Annexinema

Typical Japanese Commercial

“I watched this with the sound turned off. I have no idea why it was made. I don’t want to know.” — splimletlet

Snow Monsters Of Japan

Every year, during the cold winter months, snow monsters make their appearance on the snow covered slopes of Japan’s northern prefectures. But instead of running out of their way, tourists flock to these places to admire their natural beauty. Every one of these juhyou monsters is uniquely shaped by Mother Nature, who uses strong winds as her tools and thick layers of snow and ice as art mediums.” w/ photos

Doorknob Licking Fetish

While doorknobs are not generally considered as sexual objects, the images of a woman licking one seem to have caught the nation’s fancy. So much, that they were even featured on national TV. Some say that a doorknob represents the perfect phallic symbol, especially because it comes in all shapes and sizes. The pictures themselves are generally not very blatantly sexual. The women are fully clothed, with a variety of objects cluttered around them. They are sometimes dressed in a school uniform, and a few wear the attire of an office worker. Building the story behind the picture is completely left to the imagination of the viewer.” w/ photos

Gesture-Driven Robot Arm System

“I wonder how well this could improve the ‘the stranger’ masturbation technique.” — 450

Toilet Game Japan

“I drink a gallon of water everyday. I’ve been training my whole life for this.” — U.X.S.

Next-Generation Spinning Tops

“Only in Japan would they have f*cking top battles.” — CorporalHotdogs

Mini Sport EV

“It’s like F1 but for the middle class.” — zousanai

World’s Biggest Firework?

“Chuck Norris wants his matches back.” — LegoLego35

Intelligent Slime Able To Navigate Maze

Toshiyuki Nakagaki, a professor at Future University Hakodate, northern Japan, cultivates the slime in petri dishes and has discovered how the brainless organism is capable of finding its way out of a maze. The brainless organism is able to ‘organise’ its cells to create the most direct route through a maze in order to reach a source of food, according to his studies. The findings highlight how slime mould possesses information processing abilities shared by humans which are more sophisticated than the most advanced computers, according to Professor Nakagaki. “Humans are not the only living things with information-processing abilities,” he said. ‘Simple creatures can solve certain kinds of difficult puzzles. If you want to spotlight the essence of life or intelligence, it’s easier to use these simple creatures.” w/ photo