Day: December 9, 2004

Chanpon.org is a site devoted to the mixture of Japanese culture with other cultures. In addition to a web log that any reader can comment on, chanpon.org supports a discussion area and events for registered members. We also support a general mailing list Chanpon-friends for dissemination of information and announcements to the international chanpon community.

This site looks pretty dead.

So does its parent nonprofit, the Momoko Ito Foundation. Note their nice mon (紋 = crest) which has bunnies on it. No momo (桃 = peach) though!

Is Momoko Ito related to Blog-celebrity Joi Ito?

Links on the Momoko Ito site:

• The Dead Fukuzawa Society
• The Japan Foundation
• Japan Culture Plaza
• Japan Information Network
• Japan Interactive

Web link of note: Chanpon
(At http://www.chanpon.org/)

Neoteny is a venture capital firm based in Japan committed to helping entrepreneurs build sustainable information technology businesses.

Originally founded in January 2000 as an “incubator”, Neoteny has developed into a focused technology investment team and a consulting practice focused on corporate venture development. The consulting business was spun off as an independant subsidiary in October 2002. Neoteny continues to invest and works with venture businesses in its portfolio. Many of our portolio companies are working together developing markets and products. Our investments are focused on personal communication technologies, networked consumer electronics and enabling technologies. Neoteny invests in all stages with a preference for early stage investments.

A small battery-operated hair trimmer Jenna Jameson (porn star) promotes, which includes templates to let women cut their pubic hair into novelty shapes.
Web link of note: Hot Trimmer
(At http://hottrimmer.com/)

I was walking to the park from Haight and I passed the McDonald’s- in the window there was a poster for a new product called “Mau.” There was a picture of some fried meat on it.

Mau? Like a mispelling of Mao, the Chinese leader? Or:

• one half of Mau Mau, a political uprising in 1950s Kenya
• one half of Mau Mau, an Italian band (okay I looked that one up)
• Mau the card game. Funny, I always thought the name referred to Mao. You know, given the frustrating secrecy of the game.

Except then I realized the sign actually was upside-down. The meat was just the new chicken thing and the word was “new.” The font it was written in made it read upside-down as well.

Someone call Scott Kim.