dottocomujapan: technology, politics, frivolity.Why are Roombas so expensive in Japan- September 25, 2006 We've recently been thinking it would be nice to get a Roomba to keep HQ clean, and figured given the US pricing that we'd be able to pick one up for perhaps Y20,000-Y30,000. We were in for a shock. A quick look at some Japanese online shopping sites shows that prices for officially-imported Roombas in Japan approach 3X those in the US. A Roomba Red that currently sells for US$149.99 on Amazon will set you back at least Y46,980 on Rakuten (an online mall that's usually a standout for its low..http://www.dottocomu.com/b/archives/003198.html TakaraTomy's fusion of Tamagotchi and coin bank- September 11, 2006 TakaraTomy have come up with another great, wacky product in the Life Bank (Jinsei Ginkou), the riff on the coin bank that the 21st century has been waiting for. The Bank's screen shows you the life of a stick man who starts out as a poor pleb in a cupboard-sized apartment and develops into a rich bastard lounging under a chandelier on the 500 yen coins you feed him, all the while counting you down to your up-to-Y100,000 savings target. Then you open up the box and find he actually has spent.http://www.dottocomu.com/b/archives/003195.html Baby diamonds- September 4, 2006 Now this is worrying: A Russian company that will make you a synthetic diamond from your baby's hair (for a--very steep--price, naturally). Pink Tentacle has the sordid details. In fact, they're not picky about what or whom the hair is from, it seems -- so you could wear a little nugget of dear departed Tiddles around your neck rather than having her stuffed, if that's the way you're wired.http://www.dottocomu.com/b/archives/003188.html Kawasaki Heavy's battery-powered tram- September 4, 2006 Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) announced late last week that they're developing a tram (or a Light Rail Vehicle, in their terms) powered by nickel-metal hydride batteries, and that they've already succeeded in getting a test unit to run for 10km on a single charge. The SWIMO, to get its misleadingly amphibious-sounding monicker out of the way, is apparently named for the fact that it is a MOver that WIns the ability to Smoothly run in areas with no electrical power and lets you get on and...http://www.dottocomu.com/b/archives/003186.html |