Japanese Game Inspires Trippy Building Demolition

Man, the Japanese think of everything good. I once heard of this Japanese invention where they tie a 10 pound dumbbell to a telephone receiver to discourage lengthy phone calls and to help you lose weight. The other perk is that it makes you look like A.C. Slater every time you pick up the phone.

And when it comes to demolishing a building, they have even more great ideas. Kajima Corporation, a Japanese construction company, does it all from the bottom up. They call it daruma-otoshi, the name of an ancient Japanese game where you knock out a stack of colored pieces, from bottom to top, without letting the pieces fall. It wins green points for reducing dust pollution and making it easier to separate and recycle the building materials.

On top of that, it looks super hypnotic. Check it out:

Via [Boing Boing]

Bullet Proof Vest Saves Anti-Whaling Activist from Japanese Whaler’s Bullet

It’s on! Japanese whalers have fired a shot in their ongoing battle with anti-whaling protesters, literally. Protesters Captain Paul Watson, of the very proactively active group Seas Shepherd, allegedly got hit in his bullet proof vest after being shot at by Japanese whalers on the high seas of Antarctic whaling grounds. Sea Shepherd doesn’t pussy foot around- their plan is to use any means possible to disrupt the Japanese whale hunt. If the world isn’t going to outright ban whaling, we should at least open up the rules to allow anyone to shoot back at the whalers. Then film the battles and package as a TV show and coffee table book. I’d pay to see that. Link [The Earth Times]