Hans Rosling Data Representation

Hans Rosling talks on Asia's rise and world population growth.
(More of his talks can be viewed at Ted)

Ash-Affected North American and European Flight Maps

Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull disrupts the skies over Europe.

Katsuura Photography

Surfer at Sunset




Beach Torii




Pillars and Footprints

Current Aquarium

I'm a big fan of Takashi Amano (wiki).
You can view some of his fishtanks here.
In the past I have kept many different types of aquatic and semi-aquatic animals:






Archerfish
(genus Toxotes)


















Red-Eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)

















Firebelly Newt
(Cynops orientalis)


















In Japan, my apartment is very small. Since moving to Japan I've only been able keep one 10-gallon freshwater aquarium (which I keep half filled on the floor in case an earthquake cracks the glass) as opposed to multiple tanks as large as 40 gallons in size.

What's currently in my aquarium:







Cardinal tetra Paracheirodon axelrodi








Ghost Shrimp genus Palaemonetes










Moss Balls 毬藻 marimo









Philodendron　genus Philodendron

Mapping Piracy

An interesting and informative map from the BBC news website detailing pirate attacks in the Somalia/Horn of Africa region.

Tonpatate Tonkotsu Ramen とんぱたてとんこつラーメン

Katakuracho is a bed-town on the Yokohama subway line, between Yokohama and Shin-Yokohama.
It's 6 minutes, two stops and ¥230 from Yokohama by train and about an hour walking over a ridiculous hill (not so bad at night since you’re rewarded with a view of Yokohama).
There isn’t very much in Katakuracho..








Luckily, there's Tonpatate tonkotsu ramen .











Tonpatate is the best ramen I’ve tasted in Japan - the benchmark by which I measure other ramen. And it’s not just my opinion; I've seen many a ramen aficionado come to Tonpatate to stand outside and take pictures of the shop.




The building itself is small, so there’s an outdoor seating area for overflow, of which there is plenty. If you go, make sure to time your visit so that you arrive about halfway between train arrivals at the station. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself waiting in line outside for a while.

I’ve gone there when it was raining, believing myself shrewd, to find myself standing in line for 15 minutes...in the rain....because it’s full.

There’s no machine so you have to tell one of the three cooks (or the welcome girl /waitress when she’s there) what you want. The cheapest is the 'ramen' - ¥500.

Robert Fisk: Six years in Guantanamo

"Sami al-Haj, an Al Jazeera cameraman, was beaten, abused and humiliated in the name of the war on terror. He tells our correspondent about his struggle to rebuild a shattered life.."
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