This typo shouldn't be in an English ad

I don't get it. This company spent a lot of money to put a full page ad in a magazine, and they don't have much copy, but they managed to have a typo. Didn't anyone proofread this? The typo, in case you didn't notice, is the use of "there" instead of the contraction "they're". And why did they capitalize "back"? They also should've used a professional designer who knows type.

I often see typos in stuff from China and other countries that are too cheap to hire a good translator or proofreader, but these are native English speakers. They should know better, or at least find people who do.

Korean history channel: Japanese dinosaurs

Radio version of It's a Wonderful Life

I never get tired of the movie It's a Wonderful Life. I've seen it numerous times since I was a kid, because they've played it all over TV when no one has owned the copyright.

Well if you want to hear the complete audio version of the movie that was broadcast on radio back in the 1940's (when radio mattered much more than now), just listen right here.

You don't need to know Japanese to see that this robot is a direct copy

Here's a report about how a Chinese company totally copied the Japanese robot Gandamu (ガンダム). They say that the color is different, but the details are the same, and compare the real Japanese robot to this knock-off. They even interview the creator of the original one. I will translate what he said later, since right now I have to finish some work. But basically, you don't need to understand Japanese to see how this robot is a direct copy. They even show other Japanese products that have been copied by Chinese companies. Way to go, losers.

Update: I was going to attempt to translate part of this video, but it has been removed, ironically due to copyright violations. So I've decreased the size of the embedded video here in order to not have a large black space.

Wuthering Heights: great story

Wow, I just watched the 2009 version of Wuthering Heights, and I had never seen or read it before, so I was really impressed. What a crazy, entertaining story, and that TV version is incredible. It was so intense and emotional, and the way they filmed it really captured its rawness. I highly recommend it: you can start watching the whole thing online here (it's in 14 parts).

You can also read it online for free here.

Weird Japanese toilet

Well, just watch the video. I don't have to say anything, other than I got it from the Chongqing-born Chinese teen who was also the funny Chinese clown.

I was going to post something, but I'm trying to figure out if I should use Twitter

The past couple of days, I've been looking at my Twitter account, wondering if I should use it and make it public, so I wasn't focused on posting here.

I remember when Twitter was starting out. Some bloggers adopted it early, and eventually posted more there than at their own blogs. But I didn't join until a couple of years ago, and at first it seemed okay, but then I started getting spammers following me. I tried to block them, but they didn't disappear, and I would send messages to Twitter, with no response or action.

So I assumed that Twitter was lame and not to be trusted. I thought it was becoming crappy like MySpace, which I left way before other people did (and now hardly anyone is there). I made my account private, so people could only follow me if I approved them.

Then I stopped using Twitter. It wasn't like I posted there much anyway, but I just really didn't like that site, and joined Tumblr instead. I like Tumblr a lot better: the interface is nice, it's multi-media, and there aren't as many creeps there. The only problem is that I hardly have any exposure there, but I guess that's okay. It's good to start small.

So now I'm still wondering if I should resume posting at Twitter, make my profile public, and link it to here, or if I should just use Tumblr. I have a smartphone now, which makes Twitter easier to use, but I don't feel too great about it.

At least I've linked my Tumblr to Twitter: that's a start.

great Next Generation episode with a great ending

I've seen the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode Ship in a Bottle more than a few times, and it's definitely one of my favorites. It was just on again tonight, and I never get tired of the ending. It's almost philosophical.

"As far as Moriarty and the Countess know, they're halfway to Meles II by now. This enhancement module contains enough active memory to provide them with experiences for a lifetime."

"They will live their lives and never know any difference."

"In a sense, you did give Moriarty what he wanted."

"In a sense, who knows? Our reality may be very much like theirs. All this might just be an elaborate simulation running inside a little device sitting on someone's table."

(all but Barclay leave)

"Computer, end program."

(nothing happens)

Israeli slang

I studied Hebrew growing up, and when I went to Israel when I was a teen, I was surprised to discover that I could actually speak it. Even though it was quite obvious that I had a knack for language since I was able to have conversations in Hebrew, I didn't really pursue or care about languages until I went to Japan after college. Now my Hebrew is non-existent, and I'd rather go to France than go to Israel again, but I still am interested in learning new things about the language.

So when someone sent me links to some brief articles in The Forward about Israeli slang, I had to check them out. There are several interesting ones, so I'll list them here. They don't take long to read, actually, since they're quite short.

haval al hazman: a waste of time

Ha matzav: the situation

Sa l'shalom: you can go

Tihiyeh large: to be large not physically, but in character

The insult of freier: sucker

How the state is ha medina

hazui: hallucinated in a surreal way

Tasteful video

I don't usually describe music videos as "tasteful", but this one has a kind of refined simplicity about it. I like the muted colors, which seem to have been de-saturated. It seems like a painting or photograph--each shot seems thoughtful.