Bonzart Ampel Digital TLR Camera From Japan

Bonzart Ampel

This looks like an amazing little toy camera that hardly deserves the title of ‘toy’. There won’t be a hipster photog worth their Holga that won’t be beating back their fellows with up-cycled seat belt camera straps when this gem hits the market. This 5 mega pixel twin lend digital camera boasts a 2 inch LCD screen in a waist level viewfinder, multiple artistic shooting modes (B&W, sepia,vivid, high contrast…), a real ’tilt-shift’ lens in addition to a regular lens so you can make things look tiny, magnet rings for adding other lenses or physical filters, and runs on AA batteries! All this and more for around $180 USD (14,700 JPY) Oh, it will also take videos.

USB beans and yet another ‘toy’ camera

Bonz.jp (Makers page in Japanese)

Gajetdaisuke (Japanese page but well worth to translate)

Flickr user Jet Daisuke has more photos of the camera!

Science for Adults – Theo Jansen’s Mini Beast

Another amazing science kit from Gakken! This time it features artist Theo Jansen, a world renowned kinetic sculptor that hopes to one day let his creations roam free on the wind swept beaches of the Netherlands. This kit looks amazing, not too unusual for a Gakken kit, and pretty easy to assemble. Like all of the projects in this Mook series, the instructions will be all in Japanese but drawn so well that you don’t need to read any of the text to understand it. The project takes you through building a beautiful wind powered walking creature that is as graceful as it is complex. I can’t wait to get my hands on one of these!
[via MAKE Flickr pool]
cloud9science @Wiki – テオ・ヤンセンのミニ・ビーストを作ってみた

I have a pool of photos on Flickr that contains images of some kits and photos taken by some of the cameras that have been featured in the series. Have a look and if you have been graced by owning one of these inspiring products consider contributing a picture or two to the pool.

the Gakken Otona No Kagaku Science Kits group icon Gakken Otona No Kagaku Science Kits

Optio NB1000 Now With Blocks!

In a collaboration with Nanoblocks (looks like a Japanese version of the popular Danish wonder block system LEGO) camera maker Pentax has a new 14 mega pixel camera that is covered in bumpy customization happiness. The camera has all the latest features that digital cameras need to have, face detection, HD video, 4x optical zoom, that’s nice and everything but it’s got places to attach Nanoblock bricks. I can see this being handy for adding filters to the flash or making a sports finder or I suppose you could add little cute critters and other cute creations to it. Not sure if it will ever get to the US but it would be fun to mess with.

[via NOTCOT]

Optio NB1000 ( Translated by Google )
Optio NB1000|コンパクトデジタルカメラ|PENTAX.

The Classic Macintosh iPad Stand

A classic Mac used to house iPad

A clever hack that combines a Mac Classic with a brand spanking new Apple iPad. No, the Mac Classic no longer works after this hack but you have to admit that it’s better than leaving to molder on a closet shelf somewhere.

iPad のスタンドを自作してみる – Macintosh iPad Stand | site hirac.
[Translated via the mighty Google so non-Japanese folks can read it]

Ancient Dogoo Girl

I’m not sure what comment, if any is appropriate for this Japanese TV show. Wow…


Well, you watch this trailer for The Amazing Dogoo Girl — which is going to be a prime-time Japanese TV show from the makers of The Machine Girl, Ju-On and Tokyo Gore Police — and you tell me. Not only is it primetime, it’s replacing perennial children’s TV classic Ultraman, meaning this is more or less designed for Japanese boys aged 6-11 or so… and yet features a heroine with magic breasts, not to mention the villains with evil breasts (like the bee woman). The show isn’t technically as weird as Robogeisha, but I’d say these circumstances propel it past even the legendary Geisha Chainsaw in terms of total insanity

[Thanks to Lonelocust for this one]

Topless Robot – Apparently, “Dogoo” Means “Magic Breasts”.