(click the magic button to hear or download the 38 minute episode)

Let me know if show notes are required. It seems that having 'em would run counter to what this Free Association thing I'm trying to put together is all about. But I'm willing to consider alternative views.

Image provided by Ardesia under Creative Commons licensing via Flickr. Grazie tanto, Ardesia!!

(click the magic button to hear or download the 30 minute episode)

This one-hundred-twentieth episode came unexpectedly on a Sunday afternoon at home. Show notes don't really seem to make sense for this one as it's pretty self-explanatory.

Curious listeners might be interested in tracking down the Warren Ellis blog post referenced at the close of the episode which was prompted by a recent report about some science stuff from the BBC.

It seems that this is the time of year when this podcast always appears to crash and burn. Over the past three years a number of folks had declared an end to Tokyo Calling through the silent weeks of late May, June and July. Some might even have felt that the pattern was beginning to repeat itself this year.

The point of this short little recording is to declare that nothing could be further from the truth. Though, the frequency of offerings will most probably decline in the coming weeks, this podcaster feels more committed to this project than ever before. Essentially, my whole purpose in putting this episode out is to rid myself of of some self-imposed pressure and potential anxiety - for the record.

Stay tuned, episode 120 will be vastly different than this one.

(click the magic button to hear or download the 48 minute episode)

Well, it's done. It was a fun, challenging and exciting process to put this one together. This is an example of the direction I'd like to take the Tokyo Calling podcast (what am I signing myself on to do?) - there are other ideas in the works as well.

I'm not quite sure how to describe this one. The phrase "audio melange" came up in the Twitter this past week. If you have any ideas about what to call this sort of thing (besides steaming hunk of junk), leave a comment. Oh and another one of these will be coming around next week in conjunction with the live recording on TalkShoe. If you can find the time, would love to have you join in.

Relevant Links:

• Illinois Street Lounge


• The Game of the Century


• The mystery voice with the show ID toward the end of the episode (after the crows) recorded live on TalkShoe on 051408

The photo accompanying this blog entry is entitled Graffiti Chess and is generously shared by David Wilmot via a Creative Commmons license from Flickr. Thanks, David!

(click the magic button to hear or download the 33 minute episode)

It looks like Japan's First Podcast will be coming through TalkShoe for the foreseeable future. Free hosting that actually returns a small sum compared to paid hosting leaves no choice. This is especially the case considering some decisions I've made about future directions for this podcast. All the details are laid out in a semi-coherent form in the later half of the episode.

In the first half is the Kodomonohi fukubiki story I promised on twitter earlier today. Spoiler: the image for this blog post is the one mentioned in the story.

For those interested in participating in the live post-show chat on TalkShoe next week, please note the new time that has been scheduled (Wednesday morning in Japan and Tuesday evening in USA).

(click the magic button to hear or download the 19 minute episode)

I decided to wrap up the week with one more bit of audio. This didn't work so well over the TalkShoe because of the low quality of the recording. I was surrounded by noise and wind as I made the walk from Iidabashi to Suidobashi. Hopefully, there's enough here to warrant putting it out as an episode.

(click the magic button to hear or download the 33 minute episode)

Decided to enjoy a leisurely walk to campus this Monday morning rather than transfer to another hot and crowded subway car. On the way there, I recorded some random thoughts about frowning salarymen, girl scouts, teaching matters, and this Wednesday's Calling Tokyo Calling.

Relevant Links:

• Graham Stanley


• Voice Thread


• Calling Tokyo Calling on TalkShoe


• WIkipedia entry on Steampunk

Image courtesy of LouiseDK via a Creative Commmons license from Flickr

(click the magic button to hear or download the 30 minute episode)

Follow Japan's First Podcaster as he returns to teaching duties for another school year. From Office 2007 to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the way to the Meat Grinder, from a muscle-bound Lothario and his wingman to a university administrator with a stack of student complaints - the only sane way to cope is to Do Easy (DE).

Relevant Links:

• The Discipline of DE (Do Easy)


• My TalkShoe "Shows"


• Wikipedia entry on "Wingman"


• Who Am I? podcast from WNYC's Radio Lab

Music Courtesy of CC Mixter
Title: Down the Lighted Path
Artist: Darkroom
Creative Commons License: Attribution 3.0 Unported

The best part of this TalkShoe cast took place after the recording ended. Thanks to Aaron, Randulo, Mafuchan, Zaren and others for a fun and lively conversation.

In the recording, I apologized for and tried to explain the recent lack of podcast episodes. Next a big thank you was sent out to some generous listeners. There's also an awkward moment where I mentioned some recent examples of how my own prejudices and misconceptions have been made clear. And somehow there's a connection to the TED Talks.

And finally, I give the highest possible recommendation for anyone with half-a-mind and a pair-of-ears to listen to The Black Tie Martini Club Oddcast.

Also mentioned, and very much worth checking out is the SLPN.

(click the magic button to hear or download the 30 minute episode)

For some reason, I've decided to resume live programming on TalkShoe with Calling Tokyo Calling. Episodes have been done on each of the past three evenings - with varying degrees of success. I intend to continue this effort for the foreseeable future.

The point is that I've found an idea and avenue of expression that I'd like to further explore. This experiment offers a chance to try out some new techniques and develop some new skills. Also, it provides an opportunity for interested Tokyo Calling listeners to talk to me. It even might be a way to attract new listeners. But to quote the old SNL, it's "not ready for prime time."

CTC is still a work in progress. I don't intend to add TalkShoe recordings to the current Tokyo Calling feeds, though I might add a CTC feed to the blog in the future - if there is any interest. There might very well be occasions when excerpts from a live recording find there way into a Tokyo Calling podcast.

The reason for this post is to let you know what's going on. It would be great to talk to any listeners who care to join in. The best way stay abreast of future CTC episodes is to follow me on twitter, or to request to be notified by email. Send me an email if interested in the second option.

I walk under this section of the Sobu and Chuo lines at least twice a week . The name of the station and surrounding area is Suidobashi. Located in the Kanda district of Chiyoda Ward, it is a lively and boisterous neighborhood. Beyond the tracks, standing at full attention, slightly left of center is the 43 story Tokyo Dome Hotel. I was surprised and delighted to find this photo of an area I know so well in the Tokyo section of the 360 Cities Virtual Reality Project.

The 360 Cities project makes use of Apple’s Quicktime VR and claims to be “the worlds fastest growing Virtual Reality network.” The site name would seem to suggest that panorama views of 360 cities around the world are on offer. But on closer examination, that claim becomes dubious. The photos are arranged sensibly by continent. North America and Asia feature seven and eight cities, respectively; Africa and South America each get one slot; Marshall Islands is the only “city” listed for Australia; while the remaining 25 cities are from Europe. That's far from a balanced representation. And the number of cities does not come close to 360.

But I'm not going to throw this site under the bus merely for a little over exuberance among the copywriters. Clearly 360 refers to degrees depicted in the photos. I, for one, happen to savor each and every one of those degrees while moving through these ever amusing panorama shots. It's kinda like crawling around in a little glass bubble. Though they only feature 43 cities, the site boasts that more than 5000 photos can be seen.

The Tokyo section alone has nearly 500 pictures. Some of them are quite stunning. I particularly like this photo of people standing under the cherry blossoms at Koshikawa Korakuen Koen. It seems as though panorama photos are continually being added to the Tokyo section, some as recently as last weekend.

I recently learned about a mysterious journey to Tokyo taken by a small group of American women in mid-January 2008. In Deedlelu’s LiveJournal travelog one can see four gals dining, shopping and sight-seeing around town. What makes this photo-scrapbook more than just another LiveJournal photo-scrapbook is the elaborate Lolita fashion-wear worn by her and her companions: Swdpunk, pawteegal, and maetel9.

For some reason, I find their trip to be most intriguing. Why would four young women go to such effort and expense to travel so far to go sight seeing in such conspicuous garb? Judging from their expressions in the photos, they certainly seemed to be having a grand time. Maybe that’s all it’s about.

Maybe it was all just about a group of gals wanting to have some hard earned fun while realizing a dream in true Lolita spirit. That spirit perhaps finds best expression in the Brand Concept Statement of Lolita Fashion marketer Angelic Pretty:

Angelic Pretty provides adorable clothing covered in lace, frills and ribbons like that (sic) of the fairytale princess you dreamed about as a little girl. We want girls to never lose sight of that dream. And this is a brand for girls who want to keep that dream alive (emphasis mine).

Regardless, the photos and text in Deedlelu’s travelog provide an insightful, informative and entertaining take on getting around in Tokyo. They even managed to transform a potentially harrowing experience with the notorious "Free Huggers" into a smile-filled photo-op.

A quick scan of the five-page-long comment section that accompanies the travelog, shows that many people are interested in the adventures of this small band of travelers' quest to “keep that dream alive.”

Note: In looking through the LiveJournal pages of her companions, it becomes clear that there is more to this than meets the eye. They are up to something, and it looks as if we will learn more in mid-March. I’ll be paying attention. Will you?

(click the magic button to hear or download the 48 minute episode)

Thanks to Ernesto JT for sharing the above photograph, entitled "the demon barber of hokkaido" through a Creative Commons license. Check out more photos from Ernesto JT at flickr.

(click the magic button to hear or download the 25 minute episode)

This episode is another freewheeling affair which was recorded live before a camera for an actual internet audience on Yahoo!Live. I wouldn't know where to begin in terms of writing up some show notes - once again, this one was all over the place.

Please accept the following links as a token of good will.

• Olympus LS-10 Linear PCM Recorder
• David Lynch: comments regarding viewing movies on the iPhone
• Meet Scottlo Scorbal

Once again, thanks for listening.