This month
January 2012
Tenouchi for men cutting | [ kenshi247.net ]
by Takwann
As I noted on facebook, in a dojo of 10 sensei you will get 10 different methods of striking men. I know this through experience. Although kendo does have a general ‘set’ method (defined by the ZNKR) it does – in fact – allow for a breadth of style. To exclaim that this or that is ‘wrong’ shows, I believe, not only inflexibility of mind, but potentially of method also. So, even if you don’t adhere to the method explained here, at least realise that many people actually do. What would be nice, however, would be that the people who don’t use this method to actually try it… a bit of research and self study (called KUFU in Japanese) is required in budo after all.
As implied by the above, please realise that this is not some ‘how to do kendo properly’ article at all, but is presented for your (and my) study purposes. One of the well-known kendo phrases is:
我以外皆師
‘Everybody but myself is my teacher’
Social television - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
by sbrothier
Social Television is a general term for technology that supports communication and social interaction in either the context of watching television, or related to TV content. It also includes the study of television-related social behavior, devices and networks. Social television systems can for example integrate voice communication, text chat, presence and context awareness, TV recommendations, ratings, or video-conferencing with the TV content either directly on the screen or by using ancillary devices. Social television is very active area of research and development that is also generating new services as TV operators and content producers are looking for new sources of revenue. While a number of existing social television systems are still at a conceptual stage, or exist as lab prototypes, beta or pilot versions are available commercially. White-labeled social TV platforms have also emerged (such as Visiware's PlayAlong, LiveHive Systems and Ex Machina's PlayToTV) which allow TV networks and operators to offer branded social TV applications. On the ratings front, companies such as SocialGuide, Bluefin Labs, Networked Insights and TrendrrTV have emerged to measure the social media activities tied to specific TV telecasts.[1] In essence, these new companies seek to serve as the Nielsen Ratings of the social televisions space.
Balloons of Bhutan · by Jonathan Harris
by gregg (via)
Balloons of Bhutan is a portrait of happiness in the last Himalayan kingdom.
In Bhutan, happiness is no laughing matter — academics study it, spreadsheets track it, billboards tout it, conferences debate it, and every year, flocks of foreign intellectuals travel to Thimphu to share their ideas about what exactly makes a person happy.
Visual Culture Blog: Visual Studies and Visual Communication
by sbrothier
The Visual Culture Blog is published by the photographer and researcher in visual culture Marco Bohr. As he reached the finishing line of a theory based PhD on Japanese photography of the 1990s, Marco began the Visual Culture Blog in October 2010 to vent some ideas that didn’t fit into the thesis. Born and raised in Germany, studying photography in Canada, living in Japan, and continuing postgraduate studies in the UK, he hopes to bring an international perspective to the study of visual culture(s). Marco recently completed a Visiting Fellowship at the Australian National University and is on his way to become Lecturer in Visual Communication at Loughborough University.
December 2011
Open Font Library
by emmanuelc & 9 others
The mission of the Open Font Library is to promote your freedoms as it relates to the use of type. All of the fonts that appear on this site come with the freedom to use, study, share and remix them.
November 2011
Single Japanese Men: Two’s Company, 61% is a Crowd - Japan Real Time - WSJ
According to a recent government study, in fact, 61% of unmarried adult men surveyed said they do not have girlfriends.
The Copyright Industry – A Century Of Deceit | TorrentFreak
It is said that those who don’t study history are doomed to repeat it. In the case of the copyright industry, they have learned that they can get new monopoly benefits and rent-seeker’s benefits every time there is a new technology, if they just complain loudly enough to the legislators.
Redesigning the Country Selector - Baymard Institute
by Spone
During our recent checkout study we found several usability issues when using a drop-down for your country selector: a lack of overview, unclear sorting, scrolling issues, inconsistent UIs, a lack of context on mobile devices, and finally, they break the user's tab-flow.
So we took it upon ourselves to redesign the country selector.
Why Johnny Can’t Opt Out: A Usability Evaluation of Tools to Limit Online Behavioral Advertising
We present results of a 45-participant laboratory study investigating the usability of tools to limit online behavioral advertising (OBA).We tested nine tools, including tools that block access to advertising websites, tools that set cookies indicating a user’s preference to opt out of OBA, and privacy tools that are built directly into web browsers. We interviewed participants about OBA, observed their behavior as they installed and used a privacy tool, and recorded their perceptions and attitudes about that tool. We found serious usability flaws in all nine tools we examined. The online opt-out tools were challenging for users to understand and configure. Users tend to be unfamiliar with most advertising companies, and therefore are unable to make meaningful choices. Users liked the fact that the browsers we tested had built-in Do Not Track features, but were wary of whether advertising companies would respect this preference. Users struggled to install and configure blocking lists to make effective use of blocking tools. They often erroneously concluded the tool they were using was blocking OBA when they had not properly configured it to do so.
October 2011
September 2011
Simple Harmonic Motion study #5d on Vimeo
Another study in simple harmonic motion and the nature of complex patterns created from the interaction of multilayered rhythms.
Taiyo Special : 100 Men of Keio University (1980) : A Japanese Book
<blockquote><p>The present issue is dedicated to Keio Gijuku, the oldest private university in Japan founded in 1858 by Yukichi Fukuzawa for the study of Western sciences, through 100 men of Keio, like Hikojiro Nakamigawa, Heigoro Shoda, Kafu Nagai, Shibasaburo Kitazato, and the pictures, letters, diaries & writings they have left behind.</p></blockquote>
Android Apps: Formulae Pro
by alamat & 1 other (via)
The extended version of Formulae, a physical sciences reference app. This app is suitable for people who want to study chemistry or maths on the go, or are just a little forgetful with all those important formulas! Contains chemistry and maths content, including functional groups, named reactions (including mechanisms) and, of course, loads of equations.
August 2011
TOP 10 Myths Busted On Being An Entrepreneur
by taurusismysign
Recently I came across this study published by Kauffman Foundation. I was surprised to see some of their findings as I believed/ heard/ trusted a different mantra on entrepreneurship. Here’s my top 10 favorite.
July 2011
Winter Starlight Icon, Pixel Art, Buddy Icons, Forum Avatars
by sylvainulg (via)
Interesting things to study here ... tree volume, clean leaves detail ...
Le yumi destructeur du mal
by Takwann
Par Kanjuro Shibata Sensei
(Cet entretien a été donné par Shibata Sensei au Dharma Study Group de Kyoto en mai 1985, à l'occasion de sa présentation du Hama-yumi.)
Le Hama-yumi est un arc spécialement utilisé pour les rituels de purification.Révisé par Christopher Triplett, traduction Elisabeth Anscutter.
June 2011
What Frustrates Screen Reader Users on the Web: A Study of 100 Blind Users - International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction
by Monique
Department of Computer and Information Sciences, Universal Usability Laboratory, Towson University
May 2011
FRAMED* — A Platform for New Art Forms
by gregg & 1 other
FRAMED* was first conceptualized by Yugo Nakamura of tha ltd., as a new platform for digital art, designed for everyday interior spaces. This project is a collaboration between Yugo Nakamura, Yoshihiro Saitoh, interior designer and founder of A-Study Co., Ltd., and Om, Inc., a design and engineering team based in Taipei.
5 Kumi Tachi | Takemusu Aikido South Africa | Aikido South Africa
by Takwann
The kumi-tachi (kumi: to unite, group; tachi: sword) refers to advanced partner practice with the sword, encompassing 5 basic forms plus variations. The kumi exercises and their variations are the respective beginnings and the in-depth study of the martial applications of the basic training exercises. Associated with these exercises are strict rules of engagement based upon traditional fighting methods developed over centuries of use and refinement in a feudal society, and because they have a great practical basis they therefore dictate many of the reasons behind the movements. There is a great collection of variations that stem from these kihon (basics), due to the variables of combat, and the creativity of instructors. Once these exercises are properly learnt through slow, controlled and relaxed training, the movements can be performed more quickly and strongly, with the timing and flow varied to enable the student to experience a wide variety of possibilities in attack and defence.
Bureaucratics by Jan Banning
by Spone
Bureaucratics is a project consisting of a book (ISBN 978-1-59005-232-7) and exhibition containing 50 photographs, the product of an anarchist’s heart, a historian’s mind and an artist’s eye. It is a comparative photographic study of the culture, rituals and symbols of state civil administrations and its servants in eight countries on five continents, selected on the basis of polical, historical and cultural considerations: Bolivia, China, France, India, Liberia, Russia, the United States, and Yemen. In each country, I visited up to hundreds of offices of members of the executive in different services and at different levels. The visits were unannounced and the accompanying writer, Will Tinnemans, by interviewing kept the employees from tidying up or clearing the office. That way, the photos show what a local citizen would be confronted with when entering.
April 2011
jgarzik/pyminer - GitHub
prototypes without any purposes than proving it could be, except that it can't because it is a prototype. :)It is pure-python, and therefore very, very slow. The purpose is to
provide a reference implementation of a miner, for study.
