Master Blaster (Page 6)

Master Blaster

Writer / Translator

Master Blaster is the two-man translating team of Steven Le Blanc and Masami M.

Steven Le Blanc is an English teacher in Osaka but born and raised on a steady diet of Street Fighter and Godzilla movies in Canada. You can often find him translating stories about the impending robot revolution, North Korea, poorly named products, or whatever else satiates the ADHD he diagnosed himself as having via wikipedia. He enjoys spending his free time by pondering deep linguistic questions like what the best way to start a sentence with the word "iPhone" is.

Masami M is a Japanese person born in Osaka but raised in Tokyo. A founder of one of the first Mahjong websites in Japan, Japanese Reach Mahjong for Beginners viewed by millions monthly, he was also responsible for a blog chronicling the fates of two NOVA teachers abandoned by the bankrupt company which was profiled on national TV as well as other media outlets. In addition to translating, writing and running websites he also works in advertising.

All Stories by Master Blaster

Never Let Go of Your Lizard Umbrella, Even When You Let Go of It

Mar 29, 2013 by Master Blaster
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On rainy days, especially in Asia, a dozen or so umbrellas can be seen sitting outside of stores and other buildings. For thieves or people with momentary rain-soaked lapses in conscience it the perfect chance to get a free bumbershoot.

To combat this we have the Lizard Umbrella – a 2012 Red Dot Design Award-winning concept by inventors Kim Seokhui, Kim Seongjin and Kim Dasol.

Mar 28, 2013 by Master Blaster
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A new paper released by RocketNews24’s department of Cybermammography addresses the controversial topic of images depicting women’s chests from below.

Having scoured countless images of scantily clad women researchers have found that women are mostly seen from the front or the top looking down. However, pictures taken from below are few and far between.

What exists beneath women’s breasts that makes photographers not want to view it? Realizing the possibility of encounters with minotaurs or magic, our team bravely inspects the underside of a woman’s chest.

Mar 28, 2013 by Master Blaster
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At the trial of Li Wan Hao, a web designer living in Hong Kong, the court was shocked at the extent of porn saved on his hard drive. Unfortunately for Li somewhere in that sea of explicit content were a few drops of “illegal material.”

Mar 27, 2013 by Master Blaster
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Infants love boxes of tissue, and playing with tissue boxes can be a great way for them to develop sensory perception and fine motor skills.

However, once the necessary experience has been met, it can be hard to get them to stop pulling out every piece into a fluffy white pile on the floor. One Twitter user uploaded a photo of her solution to this problem amid cheers of “genius.”

Mar 26, 2013 by Master Blaster
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You would think any transportation business would realize that in the event of a massive delay, a steady flow of information to the passengers is crucial.

Still, places like Kunming Changshui International Airport in China and more recently Keihan Electric Railway in Japan continue to leave their customers stranded without a clue about what’s happening with disastrous results.

On 24 March, Keihan Electric Railway experienced a massive loss of power along the entire Main Line running between Osaka and Kyoto. The hour-and-a-half delay ruined many people’s days and resulted in a tongue lashing for one blind lady.

Mar 25, 2013 by Master Blaster
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This year marks the 100th anniversary of Tokyo Station as well as Grand Central Station, New York: two titans of transportation who have served their respective metropolises proud.

To honor this centennial, Grand Central hosted “Japan Week” which drew crowds to the already crowded terminal. Hearing of this, RocketNews24 sent a reporter to investigate the centerpiece of Japan Week; the ekiben counter!

Mar 25, 2013 by Master Blaster
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Long has Osaka’s DenDen Town lived in the shadow of its predecessor, Tokyo’s Akihabara. While having grown into streets lined with manga, computer parts, video game, figure, and costume shops along with a scattering of maid cafés, it still struggles to reach the level of notoriety that Akiba has.

For the ninth time that frustration has built up and exploded in Osaka’s Otaku ball known as Nipponbashi Street Festa 2013. Having just wrapped up, Twitter was quickly flooded with snapshots of cosplayers taken during the event. Here’s a rundown.

Mar 24, 2013 by Master Blaster
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Following the hot-pink water coming out of taps in Jinan, China last week, the nation continues to be experiencing food discoloration of acid trip proportions. Shrimp that turns vibrant green when cooked were recently found in Shanghai.

Mar 24, 2013 by Master Blaster
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We all love Swedish housewares chain IKEA for their reliable selection of TISDAGs and RÅSKOGs, and whenever I’m out shopping for a new SLÄT I like to stop by the cafeteria for their 99 yen (US$1) breakfast.

But for a limited time IKEA is lowering the price of their ultra-cheap “Morning Plate” breakfast right down to 0 yen (US$0).

Mar 23, 2013 by Master Blaster
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Behold: a guitar shaped like an 8-bit Nintendo Famicom (NES) console with a pair of controllers! Aside from a few alterations, the body is nearly to scale with the game machine.

Let’s take a look to see how the designer going by the name Mitsumatsu made this monster musical machine.

Mar 23, 2013 by Master Blaster
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Here at RocketNews24 we are no strangers to excessive consumption of ordinary foodstuffs. We even once constructed a bowl of gyudon with 10 raw eggs on top.

Still, we have to doff our caps to this gent who dreamed a dream and successfully cooked 50 egg yolks in a rice cooker. We say “successfully” because the end result actually looks pretty good – if not lethal.

Mar 22, 2013 by Master Blaster
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Dr. Shunichi Igarashi has surprised even himself with his line of Super Reinforcement with Flexibility (SRF) technology. SRF basically involves wrapping the columns and walls of building in adhesive strips.

The idea of gluing fabric on a building to protect it from the sheer force of an earthquake doesn’t sound very comforting. However, when Dr. Igarashi’s SRF was put to the test in the Great Tohoku Earthquake on 11 March, 2011, it passed with flying colors.

Mar 22, 2013 by Master Blaster
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Recently around the world and in Japan there has been a sudden upswing in the number of people wearing underwear (namely panties or briefs) over their heads.

A photography book full of images of girls doing everyday things with panties over their faces was recently published. This was only a few months prior to the release of the live-action adaptation of Hentai Kamen (Pervert Mask) manga which chronicles the adventures of a panty-mask wearing hero. Where is all this coming from?

RocketNews24 columnist GO has, much like John Howard Griffin before him, tried to enter deep into the mind of a panty-head-wearer by transforming himself into one. Here’s what he discovered.

Mar 21, 2013 by Master Blaster
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The long standing collaboration between Japan’s premier virtual pop star and ubiquitous convenience store continues this spring with the Hatsune Miku de Sakura no Uta campaign.

Unfortunately, the campaign has been having a bit of a rocky start with the sexually suggestive Sakura Style Strawberry Cream Bread. So now it’s time to bring out the heavy artillery: Family Mart’s second version of a Hatsune Miku-themed nikuman (steamed meat bun), Sakura Mikuman.

Mar 21, 2013 by Master Blaster
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Earlier this month a series of commercials were released by Akagi Dairy, the makers of the popular Gari Gari Kun frozen ice pops. These spots were to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the company’s Black line of chocolate ice bars.

It’s probably hard to tell from the image above but the commercials were put together by a team of talented and experienced Japanese artists. The result is, well, definitely something.

Mar 20, 2013 by Master Blaster
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Fujitsu Labs recently announced it is finalizing technology which lets you check and monitor your pulse just by pointing a camera at your face. The company claims results can be achieved in as little as five seconds and doesn’t require complicated procedures or extra equipment.

The technology is compatible with ordinary smartphones as well as tablets, laptops, or desktops as long as they’re equipped with a camera.

Mar 20, 2013 by Master Blaster
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On 18 March an announcement was made that shook the world of manufacturing. For centuries man has had to endure white paper for writing down notes, works of art, or fake telephone numbers from girls met in the bar.

Sure, there was the development of colored paper, but that’s just putting lipstick on a pig. The real innovation will come in the not too distant future when we will be able to enjoy paper the way it was truly meant to be – nearly invisible!

Think of the applications! Seriously, think about it, because we had to for a really long time.

Mar 19, 2013 by Master Blaster
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It looks like winter is behind us in Japan now and we can soon look forward to taking a dip outdoors. However, it looks as if these people jumped the gun by a month or so and took the plunge early… with all their clothes on… carrying bags and sinking to the bottom like a stone…

What on earth is going on here?

Mar 19, 2013 by Master Blaster
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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are joining forces on the Global Precipitation Measurement Project (GPM Project).

Now that all the abbreviations are out of the way, the two space agencies are holding a manga character contest to find some 2-D spokespeople (or spokesthings) to represent this project in promotional and educational materials.