Shokotan's blog originally began in 2003 at Yaplog, a free blog hosting service popular to girls by cute design selections, when she was just one of them.
After getting popularity by her aggressive frequent posts with photo around 30-50 per days and called "a new blog queen" after Kaori Manabe and blog-retired Chinatsu Wakatsuki, in February 2008, she (by rumour was ordered by agency and reluctantly) moved to another free hosting, Excite Blog with her 10 billion page views. On Excite Blog, paid premium service were introduced. Excite PR denied financial transaction with the talent agency for the move.
This time, according to her staff's explanation [J], this movement to Ameblo is mainly by Excite stopping its fan-club service which Shokotan had been using, and they are seeking to utilize Ameblo and CyberAgent's community services such like Pigu.
On Tuesday, Japanese prime ministerTaro Aso[J] dissolved the lower house of parliament for the upcoming general election which is set for August 30th. Representative candidates are forced to fight against their competitors and to appeal their policies to potential voters under the shining summer sun.
All political parties are now more aggressive than ever in using Internet to appeal their policies. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party made an animation in which a man resembling the head of the opposition Democratic Party who seduces a woman and tries to marry her.
Man: I can make you happier than your current man. Won't you switch to me? A wonderful rosy life is waiting for you. You can depend on me for child care expenses, elderly care expenses - whatever. No matter how many times you drive a car on any expressway at anytime, you are never requested to pay the bill.
(Author's note: The Democratic Party sets forth reducing taxpayer's burden for public services and welfare as one of their policies.)
Woman: Are you all right financially?
Man: I'll consider the details once we are married.
Narration: Can you entrust your life to groundless confidence? The Liberal Democratic Party - We give you well-grounded options.
Meanwhile, the opposition Democratic Party introduced today a new flash-based game app for cellphone, which is for competing the time to get to the prime minister's public residence and to take over the administration. (Go to http://mobile.dpj.or.jp from your mobile for the app)
All parties are making desperate efforts to attract swing voters - usually they're young and relatively better at collecting information on the Internet.
NHK 's video shooting the eclipse in Iwojima, a rural island located 1,200km (750 miles) off Japan's main islands.
NHK's video shooting the eclipse from a ferry cruising the Pacific Ocean.
These two videos were carried live by NHK, JAXA, NICT and NAOJ via high-speed data communication satellite "KIZUNA (WINDS)".
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We reported almost a dozen of the eclipse related live events in this story several weeks ago. Once again, the followings give you an opportunity to be a part of this great astronomical event even at your home or your office. The eclipse can be observed from 9:30am to 0:30pm. J.S.T.(Japan Standard Time), which is 0:30am to 3:30am U.T.C.(Universal Time Coordinated)
A TBS-affiliate TV station in Okinawa, MBC brings you live images from Nakanoshima Island, Akuseki-jima Island and Takarajima Island. It uses a Tokyo-based Utagoe's livestreaming technology. http://nissyoku.mbc.co.jp
Japan's public broadcaster NHK will bring you live coverage from Akuseki-jima Island, Yakushima Island, Iwojima Island and a ferry cruising the Pacific Ocean. http://www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/live0722/
Live! Eclipse brings you live from Shanghai’s suburb of Jiaxing City[C] (Mainland China), Nakanoshima Observatory[J] in Tokara Islands (Japan), Amami-oshima (Japan) and Marakei Atoll (Micronesian Island of Kiribati). Tokyo-based large ISP, IIJ assists this project to distribute live video feeds in multiple formats such as Apple iPhone, Adobe Flash Video and Microsoft Sliverlight. http://www.live-eclipse.org/
The world's largest meteorological company Weathernews delivers live coverage from Mumbai(India), Seoul(South Korea), Shanghai (Mainland China) and Amami-Ohshima Island (Kagoshima, Japan). http://weathernews.jp/soramado/html/download.html (requiring free online signup and an Adobe-AIR app installation)
Sky Perfect J-SAT (Japan’s only satellite broadcasting platform operator) and Nico Nico Douga[J] (UGC-based popular video sharing site) will bring live images from Ogasawara Haha-jima, Bonin Islands, to NicoNico subscribers’ cellphone handsets and PC screens. Two weather girls will anchor the live show[J] and investigate the supervisions whether dogs are howling and frogs are cloaking in chorus when the sun and the moon are in conjunction.
Tokyo-based system integration company Media-I will be broadcast live stream from Akuseki-jima, a Tokara island. See this[J] for more details.
In association with elementary and junior high schools in Tokara islands, Kagoshima University will bring you live streaming from seven Tokara islands. See this[J] for more details.
Japan Meteorological Agency announced it would publicize still satellite images shooting the earth from MTSAT-2 every 15 minutes since 10am, July 22nd when the eclipse will be underway. Images will be available here[J].
RKK, a private TV broadcaster in Kumamoto, will deliver live coverage from seven locations and be aired on a morning show[J] on the broadcaster’s participating nationwide affiliate network. Images will be also available on the Internet at RKK’s website.
On Thursday and Friday at a venue near Tokyo Station[J], IT news publisher and event organizer IDG Japan and Cymen, a Tokyo-based venture in search engine optimization(SEO) and web marketing for enterprise business, jointly held a conference combining three events on Internet cutting-edge technologies and its enabling web marketing solutions.
Next Ad & Marketing 2009
This event focuses on next-generation ad and marketing solutions that can be delivered by cutting-edge technologies and newly invented business schemes. In commemorating the first edition of the conference, its organizers set up an award and invited corporate nominees which can introduce something epoch-making.
The award winners are:
Mobile category
Won by CLON Lab[J] which develops an agent engine having the features similar to the artificial intelligence. By interactively repeating Q&As between you and your agent running on the system, you can let your agent learn more about your individual taste. Your agent may keep a web-diary instead of you.
Future category
Won by Mr. Senichi Kanemura from Kousei Inc.[J] with its augmented reality software "SR Engine Lite[J]", which is a mobile app and allowing you to find associated information only by taking a picture that you wish to find about, without entering a long URL nor scanning QR 2D barcode.
Community category
Won by Poken with its Swiss-made USB key-like device allowing you to exchange personal profiles only by touching each other. It also makes you easier to connect on major SNSs with the persons you've met.
Won by Fukidasystem[J] with a real-time speech-bubble projector in concert with passer-by's motion. A movie below shows you an example of the system installed at a shopping complex, Akasaka Sacas[J], Tokyo.
Device category
Won by Mitani Corporation[J] with "Arios Copy", a 3D display without wearing glasses. The screen surface of the device are specifically processed as to show different images to your both eyes, which creates a 3D images in the visual cortical area of your brain.
3D Internet Business Forum
This forum was a showcase exhibiting 3D graphic web technologies.
3Di, Inc. is a Shibuya-based tech start-up shareheld by NTT Investment Partners[J] and ngi group, and develops a 3D rendering application which can be easily embedded on your website. The example below shows you a virtual furniture shop which allows you to put an item virtually in your room to fit its size and color.
Eitarosoft is an Akihabara-based tech start-up shareheld by Japan Asia Investment, JAFCO and several VCs, and focusing on developing 3D virtual space platform for cellphones. The company exhibited Lamity, which allows simultaneously 4,000 users to participate in the virtual world and to enjoy chatting one another.
3D-GAN (3DGeometry Application Network) is a business consortium of 46 companies in 3D-related business including design, manufacturing, architects, jewelry & accessory design, medicare and animation studio. They exhibited several models of 3D printers.
Plusplus Co., Ltd.[J], a company based in the northern part of Honshu island, is strong in developing web gadgets and 3D web content platform requiring no additional application other than a web browser. The below is an example of their 3D content platform called Web3D[J].
Business Blog & SNS World: Tsuruaki Yukawa's Perspective
Senior staff writer for Jiji Press, Tsuruaki Yukawa[J], who is usually counted as an Internet visionary and introduces the world perspective and web business trends on his books and his blog, was invited to make a keynote speech at the beginning of this segment.
He pointed out recently developed web technologies, such as recommendation and digital signage, would create another style of virtual door-to-door business, as though you visited your customer's home and asked "may I help you?" at the door. Mr. Yukawa introduced some U.S. companies are attempting to get collected customer profiles together in order to provide more efficient marketing results.
Search advertising technology enables to recommend what your customer has not yet ordered but possibly wish to have.
A combination of CRM (customer relationship management) and mail marketing allows you to predict when your customer will run of daily necessaries and need to buy next new one.
Digital signage and mobile advertising allows you to approach to your customer in more ways than you used to have.
Web analysis and behavior targeting allows you to suppose what each of your customers wish to have in accordance with his/her lifestyle.
Google has almost occupied the business in search advertising among seven keys described above. If someone takes the top of each of the rest, it can be another Google, he said.
If Japan brings the world's most advanced mobile technology to Mainland China and Korea, those countries can be an innovation center and more progressive than Silicon Valley. The world entrepreneurs, including Softbank's CEO Masayoshi Son, think so.
Finally he wrapped up his speech with an optimistic perspective that digital media and social media would take important positions in ad industry when the world economy recovers from this recession.
Author's note: Tomorrow's solar eclipse is now causing an explosive access levels to NAOJ's website, you may have difficulty in reaching the destination of the above link.
"Moon in Google Earth" has several optional menus including Appolo mission, guide tour, and the satellite's aerial pictures presented by Arizona State University, etc.
"Moon in Google Earth": SELENE Impact Point
3D video(HD) reproduced from terrain data collected by SELENE, which was making a final approach to the expected impact point on the moon. Quoted from JAXA Channel [E/J] on YouTube.
