dg meets world

You may not be familiar with Volker Pispers, but I’d like to introduce him to you. He is a German “comedian”.

But the word “comedian” doesn’t really fit the description. What he does is political satire and comedy, often in a very sarcastic and ironic way. In German we have the word “Kabaret” or better “politisches Kabaret” for this (so he is called a “Kabarettist”), but in English the word cabaret has a very different notion.

The English (or French) connotation of the word “cabaret” is more like this:

But what I mean is this:

His program about the USA is quite old (like 2004 or 2005 or something), but nevertheless it is still pretty good. And here are the remaining 5 parts:

Google Tech Talks are a superb source for information on a variety of topics. (YouTube channel)

And last week I found this interesting forum(?) post over at reddit: Suggestions for - ‘Must Watch Google Tech Talks’

I personally haven’t watched that many talks, mostly because I just have no time, but I think the “Human Computation” one is very interesting, even for “non-technical persons”.

the universitykindergarten:

Aoyama Gakuin University is phasing out traditional methods of taking attendance at its School of Social Informatics, in favor of free GPS-enabled iPhones.

The faculty began providing Apple iPhone 3Gs to all 550 staff and students Friday, using the GPS function to determine whether they are in school or not. The university will initiate full operation of the system in the autumn. The school also has plans to expand their use to setting simple tests and questionnaires, submitting homework and reviewing class video materials.

(Mainichi Japan, via)

And that’s why I’ll never attend a Japanese university. Again. I was at one for a 1-year exchange program, but I’ll never enlist in one to get a full degree. It’s just too damn ridiculous, I mean, they treat you like little children, they have those stupid rules no grown up can take seriously.

It’s like a kindergarten for grown ups there, and most of the students aren’t studying at all, because they are too busy with either アルバイト (part-time job), 部活動 (or サークル動: club activities) or 就職活動 (job search: they start with it in the 3rd year and are at it till the end). And even when they manage to show up in classes the level of their studies is really, really low. Espescially in human science studies or (western) language (especially En

Hilarious!

via Reddit: This is called the “PenisTron”. There are 24 magnets. A fascinating insight into the mind of an inventor.

I think I want one. Or maybe not.

Ok, I just stumpled upon this while doing some research on my own and I think it might be an interesting read for everybody who wants to write his/her final BA thesis about a manga or anime.

Nationalism and Anti-Americanism in Japan – Manga Wars, Aso, Tamogami, and Progressive Alternatives

This is how you do it right.