Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

Technology Stuff

Leave a Comment

Segway. No way!

On Thursday, the Tokyo police sent papers to prosecutors on a businessman’s use of the U.S. made Segway on a public road. During a promotional event, the 42 year-old import company president drove the Segway along Takeshitadori Street, in Tokyo’s fashionable Harajuku district.

Not a major crime you’d think, but the Segway is classified as a motorcycle under Japanese law. And as it’s not sufficiently equipped with brakes, lights, and indicators, it’s illegal. This means that the Segway can only be used in parks and University campuses.

An imported Segway costs somewhere in the region of 850,000 Yen (almost 4,400 pounds). It has to be said, that’s a lot of money for a quick race around the local park.

segway.jpg
A man speeding away from the police yesterday

3 Comments

A dog is not just for Christmas. Or is it?

Take a look at the latest Aibo.

aibo.jpg

Now I can understand people having misgivings about electronic pets, but believe me, Sony’s Aibo has something special. What that something is I don’t really know, but from a recent experience, it seems that the plastic pooch can produce the same reactions in people that a real dog does.

In the shop I found myself happily stroking Aibo, and after stepping back and observing others, the electronic dog produced the same reaction in everybody else. Without exception. People smiled, petted it, and in the end were reluctant to leave.

Strange? Maybe. True? Surprisingly, yes.

And not once did I see it attempt to sniff someone’s groin or hump a passerby’s leg.

Leave a Comment

The Prescott

This is not Japan related at all, but I couldn’t help noticing that Intel’s new Pentium 4 processor is code-named Prescott. Now I might be barking up the wrong tree here, but could it be named after Britain’s cuddly Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott?

prescott3.jpg

On second thoughts, maybe not.

2 Comments

A wasted opportunity

Matsushita (Panasonic) has recently developed a next-generation battery. So to promote its new Oxyride dry-cell battery, Matsushita followed the well trodden path of hiring the services of an attractive young model. All good up to now it has to be said.

The problem is they then decided to put her inside a bizarre battery driven vehicle, with the resultant publicity shot looking comical at best. It’s so bad she almost appears to have been added into the picture by a Photoshop novice.

squashedmodel.jpg

7 Comments

A footballing saviour?

Japan’s long and desperate search for a consistent and quality striker may at last be over. How FIFA will react to the news is as yet unknown, but the Japanese Football Association must barely be able to control their glee.

The Sony produced Qrio certainly looks the part, although programmers are apparently having problems getting the young upstart to gesticulate wildly at officials, and dive at the slightest hint of contact.

Qrio.jpg