With supercomputers capable of beating our best chess and Jeopardy players, you’d think that being able to simulate the sounds a tire makes while rolling on a road was easy—but it’s not. In fact, Yokohama had to team up with the Japanese equivalent of NASA to finally recreate how air and sound behave around the company’s tires.
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On June 8, 2013, the “AKB48 General Election” took place in Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, Japan. This was the 5th year of the election and was broadcast live for 4 hours on national TV. For the top 16 ranked girls, there is a spot to be part of the group’s upcoming 32nd single.
For those who do not know what “AKB48″ and the “AKB48 General Election” are, let me explain a bit about them…
AKB48 is currently the most popular girl idol group in Japan. It’s named after Akihabara, famous for a subculture of techie stuff, manga, idols, anime and gaming – the center of Otaku Japan. AKB48 have their own theater and even after they started to appear on media a lot, popular members still perform in the small theater. For this reason, people call them “idols you can meet”. AKB48 consists of nearly 100 girls and they also have sister groups in other cities in Japan and even outside of Japan. Below are the current sister groups of AKB48:
SKE48 – Sakae, Aichi prefecture
NMB48 – Namba, Osaka prefecture
HKT48 – Hakata, Fukuoka prefecture
JKT48 – Jakarta, Indonesia
SNH48 – Shanghai, China
TPE48 – Taipei, Taiwan
So, this weekend’s “AKB48 General Election” was for their fans to decide the top 16 girls who will make up the ensemble that will sing the group’s 32nd single. The name of the single has yet to be announced (and probably is still being written) – the reason for this is that the single will be made and tailored to fit the singing and dancing skills (or lack of skills…) of the group of 16 girls.
So who was voting this weekend? AKB48 fans could acquire the right to vote by buying the latest AKB48 single or registering/buying related services. Once they have the right to vote, each AKB48 otaku can support their “Oshimen” (the girl who you give your support to).
Getting the most votes and securing a top ranking is extremely important for AKB48 members and their fans, because the higher a girl’s ranking, the more media exposure she will receive. The girls in the top 16 will get by far the most TV time and the #1 ranked girl will always be at the center of the group.
So it is so important for fans that their “oshimen” get a high ranking – because they will be able to see more of her cute smile on TV and promotional events for the next year – and a lot of attention is given each year to see which girls will be most popular and who will get the #1 spot.
And so, the pundits discussed the chances of each of the girls, the favorites were analyzed, fond memories from past singles and past AKB events were discussed, and the results were revealed.
When the results of the election came in, the winner was a surprise! It was Rino Sashihara, 20, who got 150,570 votes, winning first place over many other popular girls including perennial favorite, Yuko Oshima, 24, the previous #1, who has had unshakable popularity and who had competed for the top of the group with former #1, Atsuko Maeda, 21, who left the group last year.
Rino Sashihara had been ranked #9 last year, but her ascendency to #1 was a big surprise because she had been transferred to sister group, HKT48, during a scandal last year amid revelations that she had an ex-boyfriend. AKB48 members are prohibited to have boyfriends, but because this was something that happened in the past, she was able to remain popular with her fans.
Another surprise happened that night, when one of the original AKB members, Mariko Shinoda, 27, who finished with a #5 ranking, revealed that she will leave AKB48 for good after receiving her ranking.
Something else that the election showed was that AKB48 is currently in a transition of popularity to the next generation of younger members.
AKB48 sells a considerable number of CDs and goods in an age when CDs don’t sell so some say that their popularity affects the economy of Japan…
The announcement of the #1 ranking for Rino Sashihara on live national TV…
SiliconSign had a very impressive display of its 1.9mm Super Fine Pitch LED Panel “SiOrchic” at the Display 2013 (9th International FPD Expo) section of the 23rd FINETECH JAPAN at Tokyo Big Sight yesterday.
The super fine LED panels can be stacked together vertically and horizontally with visual graphics data coordinated between the panels to provide super massive video displays at very high resolution.
The panels that we saw at FINETECH JAPAN were 165 inch Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) with 1.9mm dot pitch, 207,008 dots per square meter, with a refresh rate of 1920Hz.
Our video does not do it justice, but the visual experience was clear, natural and spectacular.
SiliconSign is based in Yokohama, Japan.
The Tokyu Toyoko line, one of the most famous and important train lines in the Tokyo metro area, running between Shibuya and downtown Yokohama has had a major improvement at its Shibuya terminus, a benefit for many passengers, but a time for excitement and tears for a huge group of Train Otaku (“Tetsu-ota”).
There is an obsession with trains for many in Japan. And nothing brings them out like the change of a train line or the change of a station.
Anyone who has spent time in …
Despite an unfortunate lack of product introductions, largely due to the recent influx of new models at Photokina, there was plenty of excitement on the floor at Japan’s annual CP+ trade show. The promise of new point-and-shoots brought us out to Yokohama, but non-stop manufacturer-sponsored entertainment at the exhibition hall, most often not in any way related to the devices on display, kept us coming back.
At Nikon’s booth, Japanese dancers clad in a variety of “urban” dress, remained in constant motion in an effort to demonstrate the autofocus abilities of the company’s latest 1 Series cameras. At dozens of other stands, models, often surrounded by groups of attendees, held camera brochures in an array of different poses. And, at Casio, female presenters spoke of the company’s “speed revolution” in front of dozens of amateur photographers, each clicking away as if under a looming deadline. All in all, this relatively small exhibition is an experience not to be missed. So, even if you weren’t able to visit this year, you can join us inside Pacifico Yokohama in the video after the break.
Gallery: CP+ 2013 wrap-up
Filed under: Announcements, Cameras, Nikon, Canon
The decision to invest in an electric vehicle would be much easier to justify if the car in question offered unlimited range. That appears to be the concept behind a Toyohashi University research group’s wireless power prototype, which can successfully transmit electricity through a 10 centimeter-thick concrete block. During a demonstration in Yokohama, Japan, the team sent between 50 and 60 watts of power through a pair of concrete blocks to two tires, which then juiced up a light bulb (you can see the rig just above). The project is called EVER (Electric Vehicle on Electrified Roadway), and could someday be used to keep cars moving along a highway without any need to pull over for a recharge, thanks to a constant stream of electricity coming from below the road. There are some serious obstacles to overcome before EVER can get some wheels turning — namely, a need to pump nearly 100 times the current maximum load through concrete that’s twice as thick as what they’ve managed today, not to mention improving undisclosed efficiency levels — but the group reportedly said that it’s up to the task, making us fairly optimistic that such a solution could one day get us from A to B without petrol. Until then, you’ll probably want to plan out a pit stop or two before you leave the garage.
Japanese group transmits electricity through 4-inch concrete block, could power cars on roads originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Jul 2012 00:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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