wake up and smell the lead

Yet again, thank you pink tentacle for putting up details of something that I actually read about in the paper, but found the paper’s details were crap and vague.

Scented lead has been around for a while. I remember having apple-scented green pencils as a kid actually. However, these push-point pencil leads from Pentel, which utilize nano-technology for scent release, use more adult aromatherapy scents (like rosemary, mint and lemongrass). Blends include: “Healing,” “Refresh” and “Positive.” Yes … all the things I really could do with in my life right now…

Pentel says “The aromatic blends are specially designed to boost the learning capacity of those in smelling range,” according to pink tentacle, whose capable suckers I leave you in for the techy nano-technology info.

Image is from IT Media News.

water, water everywhere

Saw this the other day and I can’t decide if it’s a good idea, or just a gimmicky one. It’s a cup that comes with a water filter so that people can just fill it straight from the tap and drink it right away. I looked at a couple of blogs that seem to think it’s a nice idea because it encourages people not to buy bottled water (which are mostly imported and produce a lot of waste plastic). One cartridge can filter up to 60 liters of water (that would make 30 2-liter bottles), so if the cartridge is recyclable (Brita ones are I think), then its definitely a good idea.

Whatever, it is probably a better idea than buying this…

This Keiju water (image from here: www.mrpartner.co.jp) is from the Tateyama mountains (one of the few bottled waters that is not imported at least), which is apparently renowned for good water. It is now being affiliated with Keiju medical institution and advertised as so. Kind of makes me feel a bit uneasy that people are being encouraged to buy water by affiliating it to a medical institution. But there seems to a lot of that going on right now: Doctor’s menus in restaurants, bento packed lunches with real doctor’s approval labeling, etc. On the one hand it looks like a decent promotion of healthy products. On the other, the stuff being promoted as healthy appear to be really ordinary products that have simply been packaged differently, endorsed and increased in price…

ongoing baby trend

This is actually just an update on something I mentioned a while ago. I wrote about a little tag that train lines were giving out to pregnant women so that they could subtly make others aware of their pregnancy and maybe be offered a seat. PingMag have now done a piece that goes into a bit more into detail. The above images, taken from PingMag’s post, are a couple of the designs that were also submitted to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare for the project. And in case you forgot, the chosen design looks like this:

betsy lyons: the sequel

She’s back! In a great action packed sequel ad. For those who are not familiar with Betsy, see previous post  here.

For those who know all about armpit-sniffing Betsy go here (stage6.divx.com).

underground workout

Aquarius “Active” sports drink, which has less calories than their other sports drinks, is aimed specifically at body conscious women. This poster on a subway train gives instructions on stretching exercises that can be done in seven steps (seven seconds) while standing on a train. Their TV ads also feature women finding ways to do simple exercises while doing ordinary things. Go here to watch an ad stage6.divx.com .

I tried following the diagrams on the train, but felt very, very silly…

sweet campaign

Any guesses what this bizarre ad campaign involving a 5 ft, vertical, bleached slug-type alien, and his two more humanoid and mustached daughters, is about?

Yes! You’re absolutely right. Couldn’t have been more obvious. This is a campaign for Treha (or trehalose), a sweetener derived from fungi. This image was taken from www.treha.jp and if look at the background, there are images of foods that contain Treha.

I know that I am missing the big point somewhere, but I have no idea why Treha chose this to promote a sweetener, or why they look like that (the mustache and monobrow thing…). But the whole campaign is definitely amusing.

If you go to the web site, a little ufo flies across the screen, and if you click the ufo you are asked “Do you like Treha?” Try clicking “no.”

The web site gives information on trehalose and showcases the TV ads for Treha (hit “CM” button, second from the left at the bottom of the page), which involve the alien father (slug-type) and his two daughters explaining the sweetener to humans during different situations.

Very weird, especially as I think this is not a product that ordinary consumers can just go out and buy, but rather something found in other products.

extending the nutty pink tentacle

These images were taken from www.arigatou3.com, which was blogged by the Pink Tentacle (via Japan Gizmodo), who is possible the best blogger on odd Japanese techy stuff I’ve ever seen.

So I can’t take any credit for this really, please go the Pink Tentacle for more detailed info. Just going to say that they are laser-engraved edible “meishi” or business cards, and that I just had to mention them. Oh and that you should probably RSS Pink Tentacle…

better training from JR

JR is promoting its new shinkansen (bullet train) by plugging its environmentally friendly design. AFP compares JR’s N700 to France’s TVG (world’s fastest train service), saying that JR preferred to concentrate on the train’s co-friendliness rather than on its speed. See here www.terradaily.com for more info.

The new train, which begins running next month, will stop at Kyoto (because of the Kyoto Protocol and the train’s efforts to be eco-friendly), will use 19 percent less electricity than other bullet trains (and therefore produce less CO2 emissions), and have no smoking carriages (yes we do still have those here!) although it will have special ventilated smoking areas.

uniqlo’s great robotic distraction

Saw this on Octopus dropkick (octopusdropkick.net) and just had to share! The dancing is so good it totally distracts from the fact the clothing is not so great. It’s just impossible not to watch it at least three times on the trot!

For more Uniqlomixer stuff and auditions for the current uniqlock campaign go here uniqlomixer or here www.uniqlo.jp/uniqlock

Gonna watch it again and find someone else to tell…

deodorizing tissue boxes

It’s weird how so many really boring things are getting upmarket makeovers.  You would think that all you need to know about tissues is the percentage that is recycled and how many sheets will you need to blow your nose or wipe your bum without (yuck) leakage. At a stretch, you might worry about what color they would be. But what more choice do you need?

Apparently lots.  “Luxury” tissues are becoming more popular in Japan and so various companies have come up with softer ones, thicker ones, lotion impregnated ones, perfumed ones, patterned ones,  and ones that come in prettier boxes.

And now they can come in deodorizing boxes. The Crecia Fabree tissue box is covered in a “photocatalytic sheet,” which does what it says — it reacts to sunlight. It somehow breaks down bad odors in the air when exposed to sunlight or fluorescent light and deodorizes the room its in.

Strange, but true.