The Eternal Gaijin

If you don’t read xkcd it’s time to update your RSS feeds. You don’t use RSS? I can’t help you.

With the heat and humidity being what it is, I just can't be arsed, so here's a random ten from the iPod and sod all else until tomorrow at the earliest. Pepper Butthole Surfers Jupiter: The Bringer of Jollity Holst Jesus Thinks You're a Jerk Frank Zappa Thief Our Lady Peace I'll Find My Way Home Jon and Vangelis Round and Round Frozen Ghost Shaving My Neck Gene Loves Jezebel Deeper Underground Jamiroquai Good Nurse The Constantines Sure as I'm Sitting Here John Hiatt Inevitable conclusion: My iPod is a fucked up place to inhabit.

  Dotembori is one of the main entertainment districts in Osaka. It's famous for food, noise, drinking, the Kuidaore drumming robot (RIP) and, at one end, just a hint of hentai. One time the wife and I were after a bite to eat at Kuidaore and took in a bit of a stroll around the area. For those of you who haven't been, it's a lively, vibrant area with any number of drunken revellers stumbling around. Down at the end is a slightly dodgy end culminating in a small storefront that offers this sign: If you can't read that it's: Masturbation room of oncoming generation. Explain it does not what they are on coming.

I have mixed feelings about Bill Maher. I usually love his New Rules segments. I applaud his stance that religion is something you can ridicule. However, I deplore his nonsense about vaccinations and medical care. He's quick witted, but not an intellect on the order of Jon Stewart, the best comparison of someone with TV show that's outspoken on the issues and has a sense of humour. Sometimes his outrage is misplaced. Sometimes it's bang-bloody-on. So, making the rounds is his trailer for Religulous, his new movie where he tackles religion. It looks funny and thought provoking. It looks highly slanted and I'm looking forward to it in the exact same way Mrs Gaijin isn't. I dunno. What do you think?

If I ever find We Are History , it'll be up here in a flash.

FARK.com: (2831792) Japanese shopping center mascot accidentally named for slang term used to describe gay-themed manga. Since this is Japan, he is now wildly popular with nation's youth A few years ago the Asashi Evening News rolled itself into the International Herald Tribune and got a major boost in quality and quantity. A much better paper was forged out of this. Especially when compared with the typo-heavy Daily Yomiuri . Anyway the Asahi website has the full article: asahi.com : KYOTO: Queer coincidence turns shopping center's mascot into 'otaku' superstar - ENGLISH It appears that there is a local shopping street in the area around a shrine in Kyoto (please, kyo-toe , not Ki-yoh-toe . Write your MP) needed a mascot and a young girl designed one. 801-chan, pronounced "Yaoi-chan," is the mascot for the Misonobashi 801 shopping district, not far from Kyoto's World Heritage Kamigamojinja shrine. And true to its roots, the character was inspired by Ky...