The last man in Fukushima – emptiness, evacuated cities, men in radiation suits

Today marks the anniversary of the devastating earthquake that hit Japan. One survivor shares his tale. Only Naoto Matsumura remains inside the exclusion zone, without electricity and running water and braving the loneliness and the constant threat of exposure to elevated levels of radiation to feed a menagerie of animals.

Data shows smart phones will soon flood the world with pictures, video, and text messaging.

In the last data update, I revealed that social network usage is rising, especially in Russia and Egypt. A good sign for the citizens of those disrupted countries. Now, we have data on cell phone use and it clearly shows the rise of smart phones in both developed and undeveloped countries. Japan has the highest …

Around the world social network usage is rising, especially in Egypt and Russia

From the Pew Global Attitudes Project: In 15 of 21 countries, at least 25% of those polled use social networking sites. Israel (53%) and the U.S. (50%) top the list. About four-in-ten of all adults in Britain (43%), Russia (43%), Spain (42%), Lithuania (39%) and Poland (39%). Among this group, Russia is the only country …

Why do Americans think nuclear power is safe when near-meltdowns and leaks happen constantly?

In a previous post, I reported that 58% of Americans think nuclear power is safe. After reading the below reports one has to wonder why that is… 14 Near Meltdowns Among the litany of violations at U.S. nuclear power plants are missing or mishandled nuclear material, inadequate emergency plans, faulty backup power generators, corroded cooling pipes …

Most popular video of 2011 from Japan – Making faces at the new high-speed train

I love this video from Japan, one of the most popular of 2011. It shows the first ride of a new high-speed rail train. All of these people make faces, dance, moon, and wear special costumes as it goes by. I wonder if this is how Californians will act when the LA – SF train …

Largest ever growth in carbon emissions and some unscientific reporting

The global output of heat-trapping carbon dioxide jumped by the biggest amount on record, the U.S. Department of Energy calculated, a sign of how feeble the world’s efforts are at slowing man-made global warming. The world pumped about 564 million more tons (512 million metric tons) of carbon into the air in 2010 than it …

Historical Photos of European Royalty (1910-1915)

Enjoy the photos and make sure to check out the series: Historical Photos     Wikipedia – V. Admiral Yahsiro        Photos courtesy of the Library of Congress Archives More Photos Historical Baseball Photos (1880-1915)

Family History Day: a new American holiday

Would you like to celebrate a new holiday with me? I call it Family History Day, or Ancestors Day.  Let’s celebrate it right before Halloween with a variety of fun and somber rituals, pulled from the most popular festivals around the world: Qingming festival from East Asia Día de los Muertos from Mexico The rituals of Shinto …

Women of the World Cup

The big games are today: 9am PST – USA vs. France (EPSN) 11:30 PST – Sweden vs. Japan (ESPN) These games have really been spectacular with so many going to the end. In honor I have selected my favorite women of the 2011 World Cup. Hope Solo As the goalie for the USA, Hope presents …

Kanji and the art of calligraphy

The Japanese name for calligraphy is sho do, which most directly translates as “way of writing”. — I really want to go to Japan but not because I want to go on vacation. I want to go for the Imperial Gardens and the tasty noodles. You could say that I am utterly fascinated with this …