n3312 comments

In the Philippines, railway train windows are "armored" with thick gauge steel mesh to protect against such incidents. However the door windows become the sacrificial lambs. They replace the glass with opaque (metal?) sheets when broken. I hope such incidents in Japan don't become more common. I wonder if it would be better to replace glass windows with polycarbonate sheets?

And 1 kg is actually not that heavy. A large head of cabbage is heavier.

This article is pretty scant on details. How was he caught? Did the girl discover that she was being deceived and call the police? Did the man brag about his victory while in a drunken state? Did he turn himself in? There isn't even any mention of any confession which is uncommon judging from most crime stories. Did the police do a random search on him and discovered this?

First thought that came to mind: it's like how Tony Stark admitted he was Iron Man.

This seems too complicated and will change a lot in the Batman storyline.

Which percentage refer to which assumption is clear, but the problem with this article is how the data is presented. As other posters have said, it could have been done better.

While the building where our office is has two smoking rooms on the ground floor, I still have to deal with the foul odor coming from the smokers.

I thought I remember reading that the original films will be redone in CG like the current Clone Wars TV series. Either I misunderstood or they changed their minds.

Kudos to Kesley for being a good sport. That would have hurt. And congrats for getting the prize if not the title.

I thought there was only one race, and that's the human race. Unfortunately they don't see that big picture.

I haven't had the chance to ride one but from videos doesn't the Segway move forward when you lean forward and stop when you lean back? Pretty dangerous IMO to use in a place with cliffs. Even with the standard road fences (don't know what they're called) you can potentially flip over them and down the cliff.

Again, as I wrote before, what glaring technological gap does it fill?

I used to have an iPhone 3G since the release year until I had to end the contract first half of this year due to things out of my control. Now I'm just using a prepaid phone. I seriously considered getting an iPhone 4 or iPad but in the end, I realized I really don't need them. So the money I saved ended up on my custom bicycle and I'm biking instead of sitting on my bum using either of those devices. I also had a PSP and DS but don't have them anymore as well. My sister loaned me her Kindle because the rest of her booklist is on hardcover. I use it to read occasionally.

Basically people who want those devices will find ways to justify its existence in their lives. Those who need it for any specialized application already justified it from the start.

The iPad is nice to play with (I did so in the electronics shops that display them when I pass by) but I can live without it. And yes, it is still very much an iPod Touch with a big screen.

Am I right to assume that they are not the Japanese Giant type hornet since they are just referred to as "hornets?"

Moderator: They were Japanese hornets.

I disagree that the iPad beats the Kindle "at its own game." The Kindle is a dedicated eBook reader. And e-ink makes the display looks very much like printed paper. And it has a very long battery life too. Also much smaller and easier to hold on one hand. The iPad is a multipurpose device - multipurpose being the keyword. It's backlight causes much faster eye strain compared to reading a book (or using the Kindle) with a lamp. I've tried. I admit that the iPad is very Star Trek but as the saying goes, jack of all trades, master of none.

If you're a bookworm you'll love the Kindle. The iPad is for a different crowd altogether.

I'm wondering, if she didn't feel that her pants were being cut up while sleeping, how did she come to the conclusion that the guy who got of the train did it? Did he spin the scissors on his finger while getting off?

They should be remembered as lessons so that they could be prevented in the future. I believe commemoration works in the first few times but repeating them until forever will just foster a "poor me" mentality and impede progress and healing.

Why does this article make it sound like pants for women are a revolutionary concept? Where I work a lot of women wear either skirt-looking shorts with leggings or 3/4 pants to work. I have to agree that some people look better than others when wearing pants. If the shoe (pants) fit, wear it.

While the photography is good the selection of this picture is somewhat tactless. They could have selected a picture that has an actual factory smokestack in the foreground. Yes, that isn't a factory smokestack. It's a part of an oil refinery used to burn gases left over from the refining process. Why they don't collect the gas and use it is unknown to me. Maybe because it has low calorific value therefore doesn't burn as well as current fuels.

Don't we need those telephone cords to have reliable broadband compared to wireless? Or is WiMAX already comparable?

My sarcasm tags disappeared. Maybe removed by the system. Oh well.

Glad that the kid got out safe and really didn't intend to kill himself.

<sarcasm> Handheld consoles are a danger to society and should be banned </sarcasm>

I see too many people doing this. I'm surprised (and somewhat relieved) it doesn't happen more often.

He obviously snapped from being "unjustly dismissed from service." I'm not defending his actions, but it would seem that his work meant a lot to him. If it ever turns out he was unjustly dismissed, that would be another slap to the Philippine bureaucracy.

If two blocks from Ground Zero is too close, how far is enough?

Stoning was a punishment in Judaism until around 30 A.D. However some countries still practice it under Islamic Law - despite not being in the Qur'an. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoning

Back to the article, it's their law - however terrible the punishment is. Let's just hope that the trial was a real one and that the punishment changes.

Try looking at it this way... 空手 literally means "empty hand." Kung-fu and a bunch of other martial arts are similar in the sense that they do not use weapons - empty hands. So in a certain point of view the movie is still passable as "Karate Kid." Although personally "Kung-Fu Kid" is more appropriate.

Bad choices for clothes overwhelms the pretty faces. Potentially good picture gone to waste.

In these cases, what does the SECOM "real time" surveillance does? Just saw a sticker in a nearby McDonald's.

Oops, "If what she said is accurate," ⇒ "Based on what she said,"

If the car knocked her down without running her over, it would have been moving rather fast and she should have either gone over the hood and hit the windshield (if she were tall) or flew a few feet forward after impact. Either way, she should have been at least dazed, if not unconscious. If what she said is accurate, she may have heard a man talking to her, which may or may not be the driver who may or may not have taken her bag. The driver possibly just escaped - which isn't uncommon. It's not far-fetched that someone from the meeting was involved in the "operation." Time to do your jobs, cops.

I hope the girl is not too hurt and not involved.

With regards to crime Japan is relatively safe. I'm not afraid to wear my Oakley sunglasses here unlike in my home country. Although the recent rise in knife attacks is getting a bit scary.

Nice. Better than a lot of taxis idling while waiting for passengers. But I wonder how will the batteries perform when climate control is factored in?

Isn't the counter between the clerk and the customer pretty wide? Unless the clerk was held captive there's a pretty big gap between them that will enable the clerks to escape. Maybe they need to train their staff to deal with these situations.