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【Lost in Translation】 Chinese-Made Safety Instructions Speak of Psychoanalysis and Snowmen

【Lost in Translation】 Chinese-Made Safety Instructions Speak of Psychoanalysis and Snowmen

It was only yesterday that we were chuckling about poorly translated health and safety instructions on household items, and now here we are with possibly the greatest mistranslations ever written.

Proving that it’s not just English that gets shoved through Google Translate until it vomits up bile and nonsense, a Japanese Twitter user has posted an image of the precautions label on a massage towel she bought in China.

We’ve all seen funny spelling errors and mixed-up grammar on labels before, but when a towel starts admitting to us that it can’t stand going outside to ski, you know you’re onto a winner…

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World Famous Author Haruki Murakami’s Passionate Essay on the Dispute Over the Senkaku Islands

World Famous Author Haruki Murakami’s Passionate Essay on the Dispute Over the Senkaku Islands

Haruki Murakami, the award-winning essayist and critically-acclaimed author of Norwegian Wood, Kafka on the Shore and many others, has spoken out about the recent troubles between Japan, China and Taiwan in a startlingly down-to-earth essay over on the Asahi Shinbun Digital’s culture section.

Motivated in particular by the recent news of China’s bookshops removing titles by Japanese authors, the essay focuses on the importance of cultural exchange in our societies and how, through all forms of media, we are able to communicate our very souls over seas and across borders. Read More

There’s an App for That (and That and That and That…)

There’s an App for That (and That and That and That…)

Nevermind searching for restaurants or shooting birds at pigs. You want to know how much radiation you’re surrounded by? You want to unequivocally prove to your friends how many push-ups you’ve done? You want to know where that random aircraft flying overhead is going? We present to you a variety of iPhone apps that vastly expand your capabilities and make the unthought of possible.

Geiger Camera

Apparently the iPhone camera can “see” various types of rays, such as ultraviolet and infrared, by its semiconductor sensor. With this app, it can detect high amounts of radiation in 30 seconds, while taking 1+ hours for lower amounts. In those cases, they say you might want to plug in the recharger because you’ll need to leave the device still for a long time. So, this app might get different kinds of results depending on their sense of urgency and/or patience… Read More