Lost in translation
Chinglish — poorly translated English — is rampant in China. It’s so prevalent that the government has dispatched teams of bloggers and linguists to clean up signs all over Beijing in the lead-up to the 2008 Olympic Games. The f-word has mysteriously cropped up in many signs, and until now, government officials have been baffled and expats amused. Sinologist, Victor Mair, however, recently announced that he may have found the culprit: a translation program that translates the Chinese ‘gan’, meaning ‘dry’ or ‘to do’ as the most notorious word in the English language.
Also by GERRY MAK
Corkers are little animal appendages that you can affix to wine corks to make them into little cork creatures. They come in monkey, deer, buffalo, bear, bunny, and crow.
Gundam Front Tokyon theme park in Tokyo
A couple years ago, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Gundam anime series, Sunrise Studios built a life-sized, 60-foot-tall Mobile Suit Gundam in Tokyo. Now, a small museum/theme park has been announced devoted to the giant robots, slated to open in April of this year. My inner child is peeing himself.
$44,750 MWE Emperor 200 Ergonomic Workstation
If supervillains don’t actually exist, then who the hell is buying these $44,750 ergonomic work stations complete with LED-backlit 24-inch touchscreen displays and built-in air-filtration systems?
HAVE YOUR SAY
Seems bombs and heavy artillery weren’t the only hazards during the Second World War, as this wicked collection of Anti-Prostitution Posters from the How To Be A Retronaut website alludes to. Read more
Great to see that our friends over at South African low cost airline Kulula are still flying with a mischevious metaphorical smile wiped right across their planes. Cheeky? Yes. But we love the irreverence. Read more
The very talented Jess Snow, the first video artist to be featured by Female Persuasion — the original site for provocative and political female artists — has created this ethereal short video for Lost At E Minor. We feel it. We love it. [see also the promo video Lifelongfriendshipsociety created for us]
This year’s Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, staged over 603,000 square meters, was a stunning exhibition of colour and creativity amongst mounds and mounds of ice and imagination. Read more
Our friends over at URLesque have compiled a killer selection of priceless Yahoo! Questions and Answers, which ‘may very well prove that there is such a thing as dumb questions’. Read more
It’s only fitting a band of Canadian rootsters like this would tap a mythical figure of folklore for their namesake. Indeed, Ottawa’s The John Henrys understand the power of the familiar. Read more
The original Lomography Sidekick bag has had a revamp. Though it still maintains its 2-in-1 design, it now houses a smaller section to comfortably hold compact cameras, and a larger compartment for all the other things you need. It also fits your laptops. Oh, and the exterior is made from 100% water-resistant TPE. Fun!
WE'RE POSTING / SOME OF THE BEST
It’s refreshing to see artists like Joe Kievitt who are contented to explore the beauty in simple forms and asymmetrical patterns. Read more
Never ever, ever, ever, ever park here
Some friendly advice for the neighbours, who simply don’t get it, or street art? You decide which one it is.
Baltimore Mural by Josh Van Horne
My friend Josh Van Horne, a local Baltimore artist, did this amazing mural in our neighborhood that depicts the history of this warehouse-laden area.
A little infectious lollipop rock anyone? Feel free to embarrass yourself singing along at the stoplight. If the other drivers give you that look, roll down the windows and spread the love.
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How ’bout this Jose Manuel Hortelano-Pi guy, huh? Quite the illustrator, yessiree Bob. From Spain, too. Spain is great! Read more
French unisex customized army jackets, each one is slightly different and unique. Embroidered by hand in Berlin with hands and microphone lead logo. As worn by Pixie Geldof. Yup! It is. Read more
If you have a Twitter feed that focuses on cool pop cultural things and you’d like to swap Tweets with Lost At E Minor and other like-minded Twitterers, drop us a note (with Tweet Swap in the title). We have a system in place and we’d like to have you in on it! [illustration by Brad Fitzpatrick]
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Ben Rowe said | 5 January, 2008
These are great – Have you guys seen http://engrish.com/