You No Old Time Cowboy, You No Smoke!

Take a look at this hilarious sign located somewhere in Japan. Seems like a joke right? Well it's not. You'd probably never have guessed it, but apparently what it's inarticulately trying to say is: "No Smoking Please". There... that wasn't that hard was it? And I didn't even need to resort to childish (but albeit humorous) drawings! Gosh, sometimes I'm so talented I surprise myself.

Hello Kitty AK47

Oh dear. More Hello Kitty garbage. I swear, there's so much Hello Kitty branded crap out there that even a Hello Kitty AK47 doesn't so much as even raise my eyebrows now. Thankfully this doesn't look official, so there's no need to send that flaming bag of poo off to Sanrio HQ anymore. Actually, scrap that. Let's send a flaming wheelbarrow of poo to them just for having introduced Hellish Hello Kitty into the world.

Matchbox 20 USB Bracelet

To celebrate the release of Matchbox 20's new album - Exile on Mainstream, they've decided to try a rather novel idea. The new "best of" album with 6 new tracks is available on a nifty USB bracelet priced at $24.99. In addition to the music tracks, the USB also contains behind-the-scenes footage, the music video to their hit single "How Far We've Come" as well as some wallpapers and desktop icons. Of course the USB bracelet also functions as a normal USB so you can use it to store your data and upload it onto any USB compatible PC.

Now for the bad news. Unfortunately it's only available from American websites, so it's highly unlikely that the USB bracelet will ever hit the mainstream Australian market. Tough luck to those keen Aussie Matchbox 20 fans out there. You'll either have to use a credit card and bear the shipping costs, or be left out in the cold.

Manifest 2007 Photos!

Sorry it's taken so long to get these photos up - I've been busy and then it just sort of slipped my mind after a while! But yes, Manifest 2007 was a bit of a disappointment this year. There were nowhere near the numbers of people who attended this year compared to the years past, and because Wilson Hall (where the traders hall usually is) was occupied with student exams, the Traders Hall had to be moved to a tiny room in Union House which is probably only a sixth of the capacity that Wilson Hall could hold. Highlight of the event was probably My 6 Cents Worth - a band dedicated to playing anime and Japanese music. All I can say is that I hope that Manifest really raises the bar next year.

Anyway, without further ado, behold the photos from Manifest 2007!

Some of the stand-out Cosplayers from that day:

Otaku gathering for a friendly game of Cosplay Chess

And that's it for this year everyone! See you back here for Manifest 2008!

A Car Phone You'll Actually Want

Oh yes, mobile phones these days are useful creatures. They can check your e-mail, play music, take pictures, act as your organiser and alarm clock all in the same neat little package. That's all well and good, but how about something REALLY useful? What do I speak of exactly? Well a tiny car that can be remote controlled by your mobile phone of course! Duh!

By plugging a small transmitter into your phone, you can turn your little car into a racing machine at the touch of a button! The 2, 4, 6 and 8 keys act as the directional pad while the 7 key makes the car do figure 8s. Pretty neat eh?

Don't waste your phone battery making calls. That's BORING and PREDICTABLE. Waste your battery ramming your remote controlled car into walls and tables instead! YEAH!

ERRRR......

By gosh, this next picture is so disturbing that no caption I could give would do it justice. As such, I won't even try! Just make sure you take a good squiz at Pikachu's... uh... nether regions. Enjoy...

eGames Entertainment Expo 2007

The Armageddon Expo has just come around and left, but you won't have to wait long for another expo because the eGames Entertainment Expo is setting up shop from the 16th to the 18th of November. Just a little more than a month away folks!

What's in store this year at the eGames expo you ask? Well there'll be demos of the latest games on all gaming platforms (Guitar Hero 3, anyone?), or head to head madness on all sorts of games and a Tekken 5 Dark Ressurection tournament.

There will also be long boring talks from Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft representatives and a PC building competition if you're into that sort of thing.

Ticket prices start at $13 for kids and concession holders rising to $16 for an adult ticket. If you're a dedicated geek, you can nab a two day pass for $22 and camp the consoles all day and beat the shit out of unsuspecting n00bs. And as usual, the eGames expo is being held at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.

Click here to find out more on the eGames Entertainment Expo.

Homer Simpson Beanies

There's several things that one expects to see at a supermarket. Fruit and veg - of course. Meat and baked goods - definitely. Toiletries - Yeah sure. Simpsons beanies? HELL NO.

But that's exactly what I did find when I went in for a bit of late night grocery chocolate (read as 'chocolate craving') at a local Safeway. Safeway have apparently decided it's too boring just to stock normal groceries (spluh, who needs necessities anyway) like your average fruit and veg and have opted to sell weird shit like a Homer Simpson bald headed beanie instead. Oh well, kudos for them for breaking out of the mould, I say!

Though if you think that's bad, the last time I went to my local Aldi they were selling portable toilets. I kid you not.