Future Watch

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Future Watch

Apple Design Prototype - The Apple Collection

Future Watch

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Movie: The Hours (2002) **1/2

Good film. Directed by Stephen Daldry
of Billy Elliot(2000). Billy Elliot was a better film. Nicole Kidman was nominated for Oscar for her role in this film, and she is really good. Must-See acting.

The story is about 3 women in 3 different time. The book "Mrs. Dalloway" is the connection between them. There are more connections between them, and it is fun to discover them as story goes.

If I understand more, I would have appreciated more, I guess. Maybe second viewing is better than first, but I do not have time for that unfortunately.

After I watched this film, I get very interested in who the Virginia Woolf is, and what "Mrs. Dalloway" 's story is about. I may watch Mrs. Dalloway (1997) soon.

**1/2 out of 4

*IMDb
*Trailer

Music: TSUTAYA DISCOVERY

I rent
*NICK DRAKE - BRYTER LAYTER
*HOWLIN' WOLF - MOANIN' IN THE MOONLIGHT
*TAJ MAHAL - MUSIC FUH YA'
*JEFF BUCKLEY - LIVE A L'OLYMPIA

Nick Drake is very good. He died very young. He has only 3 albums, and "Bryter Layter" is the second album for him. This is the first one I listened. Very excited to listen other 2 albums.

Jeff Buckley died very young too. He has special ability to sing. Amazing. "LIVE A L'OLYMPIA" is live album. He didn't release too many albums, so these live albums are only way to discover who he was.

Howlin' Wolf has his way to howl. In different songs, he howl in similar way, but I love it. I'm getting very into BLUES recently, because of its simplicity. Maybe I am very simple man in some way, I really connect to BLUES, I guess.

TAJ MAHAL; I haven't listened much, so I have nothing to say.

Great Japanese: GUTS ISHIMATSU

Here I select GUTS ISHIMATSU for the Yasu's Great Japanese Award (YGJA).
He was boxing world champion, he is an actor, a director, a writer. He is popular Japanese celebrity right now. He has good heart and thought. He is often unintentionally funny.

*Official Site
*His Boxing Records
*IMDb (He is also Actor, director, writer)
*Recent News

Athens: Fukuhara Ai (Japanese Ping Pong player)

Fukuhara Ai is the Japanese Ping Pong player, who is only 15-year-old. She started ping-pong at age of 3, won 3 straight years for Japanese tournament (8-year-old or younger), won 7 straight year for same tournament (12-year-old or younger). Won Japanese Junior tournament at the age of 13. She was selected for 2002 Pusan Asia Tournament; youngest player to be selected all time. She has been Japanese heroine since she was very young. I hope she will win a medal. She just won second round, advancing to third round.

*Ai Fukuhara's ranking
*Japanese Official site
*Japanese News
*Playstation 2 Game

Video: SSP-TV.com (Many Japanese Indies Videos)

This site lists many films from Japanese indies film makers. Many are very bad quality, but some of them are interesting. Only in Japanese.

Video: Steam Locomotive

This site is made by a steam locomotive lover. There are videos and photos of old time.

FUNNY: Video "Negima"

Watch a guy eats japanese daifuku

Streaming Video: Global Platform Japan

Global Platform Japan has many streaming videos about Japan. Very informative site!

iVillage FeedRoom

iVillage FeedRoom is streaming video about Entertainment News.

Pentagon Channel

Pentagon Channel is streaming video from Pentagon.

Movies: Road to Perdition (2002) *** out of 4

This movie is about father and son. In different relationships of father and son. Because something happens, a father and a son know and become closer to each other. Everyone has a father. May not have met one, but you have your own father, and he is a very special person. Sometimes something need to happen for people to get to know more? Get to close? Like 9/11 brought American people closer? It can be good, not bad like life and death situation, special situation to bring people closer right? Maybe people need to create some dramatic thing to happen. We have to try to make life dramatic.

Directed by Sam Mendes of American Beauty. It did not come close to what American Beauty did. Tom Hanks was good as usual.

The film *** out of 4.

*IMDb
*Trailer
*Reviews

Movies: Solaris (2002) ***1/2 out of 4

I love this kind of movie. What I love the most about this movie is the music. And there aren't too much screaming involved. I love this kind of "background movie", which I use it to create an atmosphere for creativity. This movie is about not only the music. Cinematography is good. Maybe not like Kubrick, but pretty good. Story is also good; good love story. Acting is unbelievable I know this movie is not for everyone, but I love it so much. Kind of I was waiting for this kind of movie to apear.

Steven Soderbergh did another good job. Maybe people recall "Traffic" and "Erin Brockovich" as his movie right now, but in 20 years, people will remember "Solaris" as his work, because this movie is so different from other films. He has done something very special, very unique, and that is why I love this film.

Actors note;Natascha McElhone was eye catching. I was very attracted to her in this film.
And maybe the most remarkable acting in this film is from Jeremy Davies. Watch him out!

This film is ***1/2 out of 4

*IMDb
*Trailers
*Other's Reviews

Fox Searchlight Short Film: Strangers

*Strangers
Another good short film from Fox Searchlight Short Film.
After watching it, left me with some good feeling.
I give it *** out of 4

"Strangers tells the compelling tale of two young men, one Arab and one Jewish who are motivated by fear to overcome their racial prejudice and hatred when suddenly confronted with a menacing gang of skinheads.
Erez Tadmor and Guy Nattiv are graduates from the Tel Aviv school Camera Obscura School of Art.  The pair are currently developing their first feature film about a holocaust survivor. All Searchlab Shorts are unrated."

Movies: Prozac Nation (2001)

Good movie.
Based on Elizabeth Wurtzel's book "Prozac Nation", and it is about depression. Casting is good, including Christina Ricci, Anne Heche, Jason Biggs, Jessica Lang.
Cristina Ricci's acting is wonderful; acting very emotional character. I give her **** out of 4.
The movie is *** out of 4.

Everyone has depression, and I have one once in a while. People should not think everyone has same solution. Sometimes it takes time. Sometimes it needs medication. What causes depression? Many variables. It is chemical balance in your body and brain, so drugs has effects. What you eat has effects. How you sleep and wakes has effects. How you excerise has effects. These are things you can do to control your body and brain. Then ofcause people around you have effects. Weather has effects. And many many things you have little control have effects too.

If you have depression, this movie is one good starting point for cure the depression.

*Trailer
*IMDb
*Based on this book
*Greg's Preview - Yahoo!Movies
*Other's Reviews

Education

You can educate yourself online for free!
These are another great place for you to learn.
FREE is so awesome!

*Connexions - Content - Browse modules by title
"Rice University's course material available for distribution and reuse"

*Barklee Shares.com
"Welcome to the Berklee Shares Web site. Here you will find free music lessons that you can download, share and trade with your friends and fellow musicians."

Public Domain: Creative Commons

This is great introduction to Creative Common.
Watch this Flash Movie!

Flash Movie:
Get Creative
Reticulum Rex

I'm still studying.
But it is exciting!

Public Domain

Wired News: Fencing Off the Public Domain
著作物は誰のため？ 作品の再利用をめぐる米国の現状

These articles are little bit old, but it talks about "copywright".

"Today, corporations receive 95 years of protection, while individuals get protection for their lifetime plus another 70 years."

This means there are a lot of, arts, music, movies, can be used for free. You can even use them in your piece of works, and even sell them.

"The way our culture works is not through inventing something truly new, but by recycling a few themes in ways that are insightful, given changing times and the ways we relate to each other,"

You can find many many Public Domain Materials! Lots of movies!



More about it later.

MOVIES: TEAM AMERICA

TEAM AMERICA(expectation ****)
Looks very funny!

Athens Olympic 2004 - Blogs

This Athens Olympic Games Blog has many information and links about Athens Olympic.

VIDEO: NBCOlympics.com

NBC's Tonight Show

These are U.S. Athletes Videos.
Marion Jones, Allyson Felix, Shawn Crawford, Maurice Greene, in 2004 U.S. TRIALS.
Also videos of Olympic 2000 and 1996 too.
There are also many US Olympian interviewed by Jey Reno. Check this out!

Athen Olympic 2004: Ryoko TANI & Yoshitomo TANI

They are husband and wife, and they both going to the Olympic.
Ryoko TANI (wife) is Olympic judo gold medallist. Yoshitomo TANI is one of the best Japanese baseball player, and going to play for Japan's Olympic Baseball Team. In 2003, he has hitted .350 hitting average with 20 home runs. Impressive! I'm going to cheer for both of them!



LATEST NEWS:
TANI's (JPN) hopes improve

ANOTHER LINKS:
Yawara-chan is one bride with reason to blush
Yoshitomo's Records

Vancouver Watch / Athen Olympic 2004: Jeff Francis

I hope he will be playing in the Olympic game. I am going to check him out.

"He is currently part of the Canadian Olympic Team."

"Yesterday, the 23-year-old Vancouver native was named the top prospect on Baseball America's Prospect Hot Sheet,"

Source: Canada's FRANCIS Tops Prospect List

Picture:
Jeff Francis - No. 3 - Baseball's Best Minor League Players

Planetarium - MEGASTAR-II cosmos

MEGASTAR-II cosmos is maybe the best planetarium in the World, and I can see it in Tokyo. It can projects 5,000,000 stars. Probably I am going to see it soon.

Athen Olympic 2004 Cities

Let's look at how the cities look like.

Thessaloniki



Heraklio


Patras


Sources:http://www.athens2004.com/en/

Athen Olympic 2004 Designs

Let's first examine the design of this year's Olympic.

Medals


Mascots


Poster


Torches and Cauldron and Torchbearer's Uniforms







Videos
Mascots in Action!
Emblem video

Sources: http://www.athens2004.com/en/

AMERICA (1968) -Paul Simon

"Let us be lovers,
We'll marry our fortunes together.
I've got some real estate
Here in my bag."
So we bought a pack of cigarettes,
And Mrs. Wagner's pies,
And walked off
To look for America.
"kathy," I said,
As we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh,
"Michigan seems like a dream to me now.
It took me four days
To hichhike from Saginaw.
I've come to look for America."

Laughing on the bus,
Playing games with the faces,
She said the man in the gabardine suit
Was a spy.
I said, "Be careful,
His bow tie is really a camera."

"Toss me a cigarette,
I think there's one in my raincoat."
"We smoked the last one
An hour ago."
So I looked at the scenery,
She read her magazine;
And the moon rose over an open field.

"Kathy, I'm lost," I said,
Though I knew she was lsleeping,
"I'm empty and aching and
I don't know why."
Counting the cars
On the New Jersey Turnpike.
They've all come
To look for America,
All come to look for America,
All come to look for America.

AMERICA (1968) -Paul Simon

TSUTAYA MUSIC DISCOVERY

Today I rent SIMON & GARFUNKEL's Album called BOOKENDS, because this album cover and a song was on my favourite movie 'Almost Famous'. I love the song 'America' soooo much. And I LOVE the movie very very much. Like someone said, "I want to hug" the movie. Here they are; what I rent today.

SIMON & GARFUNKEL - BOOKENDS
JACK JOHNSON - BRUSHFIRE FAIRY TALES
SMASH MOUTH - FUSH YU MANG
THE WHO - TOMMY
THE FLAMING LIPS - YOSHIMI BATTLES THE PINK ROBOTS
TRAIN - TRAIN
SEAN LENNON - INTO THE SUN
ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN - PORCUPINE
JONI MICHELL - BLUE

Music: Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (Hawaiian Singer)

This Hawaiian singer, died in 1997, is No. 73 on iTunes Music Store. He is so huge. The article says he is 1000 pounds. I'm going to check him out for sure, because this kind of undiscovered great singers are all around the world. Right now, maybe Radiohead and Maroon 5 and Alicia Keys are popular, but unheard singers living right now maybe discovered in the future. I want these songs. Recently, I am listening all the kind of songs, but prefer more and more kinder, quieter, more matured songs. I hope to find more and more like him in the future.

Links:
Wired News: Bruddah Iz Gets Belated Buzz
『iTunesミュージックストア』で脚光を浴びる伝説的ハワイ人歌手
iTMS Link

ATHENS OLYMPIC 2004 -- 12 days to go!

THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT . Let's get excited. Let's get prepared for the games. 12 days left. I will going to research for Olympic games and players and history, so I will be able to enjoy and get most out of it.

About CD Rental in Japan

TSUTAYA (only in Japanese) is CD/DVD rental shop in Japan (And only country which has CD rental shop). "In Japan CD rental is legal and it is approved by RIAJ. The catch is there is a 6-month waiting period for new CDs. "

I have not realize the greatness of this service until today.
I work in Shinjuku, and there is one of the biggest TSUTAYA shop in Japan, so you can find so many categories of CDs there. I rent 6 CDs for a week, and copies all into my iTunes. It will costs me about $20 in America. Since I came back here 3 years ago, I have not done a lot of copying, since Copying CD is little bit of effort; Copying to a computer, wait few minutes, replace with CD-R, wait few more minutes, label the CD-R with pen (results sometimes not pretty), and how about CD jacket? If you want one, you must first scan, which takes about another few minutes, print, and cutting. This is a lot of work. But since the introduction of iTunes, you can just put a CD in CD tray, hit Import, wait about few minutes, it's done. Find CD jacket from Amazon.com.

Today I am discovering...
STEELY DAN - two against nature
NICKELBACK - SILVER SIDE UP
BECK - SEA CHANGE
STING - BRAND NEW DAY
Simon & Garfunkel - Sound of Silence
SMASH MOUTH - WALKIN' ON THE SUN (single)

Oh, I can't stop doing it!
It is a life in Japanese way!

Another Links:
*About Japanese CD Rental (in Japan)

Feedroom and Reuters TV

Sites like feedroom.com and reuters tv are so important for people like me living in a country where doesn't have English news, or people who are too busy watching TV. I really treasure these sites. I hope there will be more and more streaming videos available.