Always wanted to learn Japanese...

Ok, here it is...the easiest way to learn the Japanese alphabet. Project LRNJ has created a "retro-style rpg" in order to teach the basic Hiragana (Japanese alphabet). It is retro so it kinda suck in graphics, but who cares because it teaches you very quickly to recognize the characters. In fact, your life depends on it in this game.

Water into Beer?

What would you do if you turned on your tap to find not water, but beer flowing? I know a lot of people who become instant beer gluttons. Anyway, for the full story click here.

BlogMad

I've recently joined BlogMad and have been surfing the ocean of blogs listed. Now I'm short on patience and quick to put down a site if it doesn't capture my interest in about three seconds; however, there are a few sites that enslaved me to read beyond the title. One of these is the blog of AtariBoy by Andrew Nesbitt. He has what I would consider (in my shortly earned expertise) a well designed site: simple, good color palette, and pleasing to the eye. As I am still new to blogs, and even newer to creating a blog template (I had an immense amount of help implementing this design) I do know what I like and what I would deem to be a nice design. Generally speaking, white backgrounds are appalling. When I see a blog with a generic white background my eyes immediately shift to the count down and I anxiously await the opportunity to click on the next number leading to the next random blog. So please take that into consideration when creating your blogs. Stay away from generic templates. Get some help with design. Read a book or two and/or talk it over with a competent graphic designer. I’m lucky enough to have one living with me. All that said, I’m still working on learning HTML, CSS, and Flash all in the hopes of being able to design nice sites. Hope this helps!

My PersonalityDNA

Want to know more about me? Check this out, it's a link to my personality dna:

My Personal Dna Report

Searching for a topic...

Well here I am, all geared up to write; and yet, without a flavorful topic. Yeah, I'm looking for something in which to sink my teeth. I am tossing around a couple of ideas: 1. Manga, 2. Something other than Manga, but equally interesting, fresh, and hip. The problem with taking on a topic such as Manga is that it is a Japanese art form translated for an American audience, a teenage American audience. I am American, but not teenaged. Another problem is I have never read a Magna; I have only seen a few Anime based on an original Magna. The next major problem is that I would need to research the subject to find current opinions on the subject and to illumine myself to a particular angle which I could tackle. But as Magna is decidedly saturated in Japanese culture I would assume I need to educate myself more regarding Japanese culture. I am not completely ignorant of Japanese culture. I lived in Japan for two years while serving in the Navy. And I read a few books about Japan when pursuing the possibility of teaching English there after college. So I guess this is why Magna seems a likely subject, because of my fascination for Japanese culture and my lack of knowledge and understanding of Japanese pop literature. If anyone knows of some good sources please inform me of them. Thanks, hope to write more on this subject soon.