Blog - Links to other blogs: May 2005 Archives

SignOnSanDiego.com has an article about amateur photographers who are having a hard time getting their photographs printed at photofinishers because they look too professional:

One of the benefits of digital photography – the fact that amateurs can take better-looking photos and doctor them using photo-editing software – is also becoming a bane. Photofinishing labs increasingly are refusing to print professional-looking photographs taken by amateurs.

The reason: Photofinishers are afraid of infringing on professional photographers' copyrights.

In a colorful article, Professor T. Kaori Kitao reveals the lively fashion in which English is being adopted by the Japanese.

Every language has imported words in its lexicon. But the golden palm for the most adept and abundant adoption of English words goes to the Japanese language. This is a distinct linguistic feature of the Japanese, and, as students of the language know from experience, learning Japanized English words can be unusually challenging. The American occupation of Japan after World War II may have something to do with this peculiar tendency; the American domination of the world in the second half of the last century may be a partial explanation. But it is culturally more deeply rooted and has a longer tradition as the following examination of English words in the Japanese lexicon demonstrates.

Via Gen Kanai's excellent blog, there's a commentary by Ai Uchida on Japan Today titled How the other 'hafu' lives:

Think you know what living biculturally is all about? Think again. I am 'half.' In Japan, this means I am half-Japanese. Recently, I have been on the receiving end of one too many uninvited pieces of advice on why I should act more or less Western/Japanese. Heads up, people -- there is a third culture unique to Japan. It's made up of well-educated, diplomatic, successful people who are doing a lot of interesting things all over the world, even though they're often misunderstood in their home country.

As a kikokushijo (帰国子女) who has spent more time somewhere else than anywhere else, I sympathize entirely.

(Via Gen Kanai.)

R.N. Clark has a very geeky version of the old film versus digital controvery on his web page. His is different in that he actually (horrors!) has hard quantitative data:

I've done digital imaging and image processing in the scientific world since about 1977, so I am very familiar with the technology and its use. I set high standards for myself in all my work and play. Currently I use both film and digital.

Photoethnography.com's blog is in the news! Wayne Yang of SFGate.com has written an article titled ASIAN POP: Blogging Asia (dated 2005.04.27). In it, he mentions this site by name:

Go to a Specialist
Another way to comprehend a region is to understand its icons, a particular slice of culture. Many bloggers incorporate snapshots of branded goods and cultural icons, as well as personal photographs (sometimes to the chagrin of their friends), but there are also bloggers who use more accomplished photography to make their points. Karen Nakamura, a cultural anthropologist who writes about classic cameras and photo-ethnography on her blog, includes her written and photographic observations from her current fieldwork in Japan.

Thanks for the props, Wayne!

Visual and linguistic anthropologist Kerim Friedman has accumulated a del.icio.us list of blogs relating (mostly) to anthropology or by anthropologists.. Yours truly is not (yet) now listed there, which is fine since I'm not quite sure that this is a purely anthropological blog but apparently that doesn't matter much.

On a lighter note than some of the more recent postings, here's Joi Ito's Web on how to find, cook, and eat Takenoko:

We spent the day yesterday waiting for email to import and hunting for, digging up, preparing and cooking takenoko (bamboo shoots). It's nearing the end of the season, but there were still enough in our backyard for a few meals worth. Last year I blogged a longer entry about the process. This year I focused on the photos. We also used a slightly different recipe and did it without relying on our neighbors. (from joi.ito.com)