Cell Phone Eiga

Made on a 携帯. From CNN's Mobile Phone Movie Competiton. What do you do with your iPhone?



Pretty exciting stuff if you're into making movies, watching movies, or playing with all the functions on your cell phone.

For Tomorrow? Yes!

What does for tomorrow mean? It means, rather than do something today, we can do it tomorrow. If you have a homework assignment, rather than do it now, you can put it off for tomorrow. In English we have a very convenient word for putting something off for tomorrow. That word is Procrastinate.

When you decide to do your homework on Sunday night instead of Friday afternoon, you are procrastinating. Procrastinating is something lots of people do everyday. Then we get really busy Sunday night and have to work really hard to finish.

The word procrastinate comes from our friends the Latin speakers. pro is Latin for for. It can be seen in the words promote, propose, proponent, pro-peace. The word cras seems to come from Latin (some etymologists are not so sure that it does) and it means.... tomorrow. The '~tinate' of crastinate is Latin grammar at work.

So remember, if you want to promote your vocabulary, study today, don't put it off
for tomorrow.

Two Japanese Indies Bands.

The Plastic Soul Band (featured on our Summer Full of Music podcast):



Jesushairdo doing an acoustic live performance:

Roadside Kill

A quick video about Roadside Kill (they sing the live recording of You Can Get Down, Too on Hokudai/Cast). Quick, where are they from? Who plays what instrument?


Did you get the answers? Try this one for Chi Weapon (they sing Kanji on Hokudai/Cast)


And a quick link to their MySpace page: Chi Weapon. Where are they from?

Indies JPop Rock Video from GBUC.net

Hokudai/Cast gets some of its music from garage band users club. Here is a video from a GBUC music night. It features our current singer, Gun, along with other singers we have featured in the past such as jesushairdo and k.c. saito. Please watch and enjoy.

A Shamisen Musical Break and TJL

Today's Japanese Lesson.

Traditionally, shamisen players don't look at their hands.

In Japanese, this would be:

伝統的に、三味線奏者は 演奏するときに 自分の手を見ません。

The furigana would be:

でんとうてきに、しゃみせんそうしゃは　えんそうするときに　じぶんのてをみません。

And the transliteration (romaji) is:

dento tekini shamisen sosha ha enso suru tokini jibun no te o mimasen.

The words are:

Traditionally (伝統的に); shamisen players (三味線奏者); don't look at their hands (自分の手を見ません); look (見ません) - and in Japanese the phrase 'when playing' is added - when playing (演奏するときに); when (ときに).

You can watch a shamisen player in the video below. Notice, if you will, that he never looks at his left hand as he plays. 伝統的に、三味線奏者は演奏するときに自分の手を見ません。Mr. Morinaga, while he is dressed non-traditionally in t-shirt, jeans, and cool glasses, nevertheless continues the no-look shamisen tradition. Enjoy.

Motoki Morinaga - Tsugaru shamisen from ale/pepino on Vimeo.

(Finally, and secretly, what is this > Video? You may have seen it before.)

Vampires

One of the latest vampires in the movies was the handsome and charismatic Tom Cruise in Interview with a Vampire (also starring Brad Pitt). He is in a long line of vampires (the story of vampires seems immortal, doesn't it?) that began with John Polidori's The Vampire but became very famous with Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Stoker's Dracula was made into a movie waaaay back in 1922, about 25 years after the book was published. From Nosferatu to Interview with a Vampire, Dracula has become more and more handsome and less and less ugly. Who will be the next Dracula? It will have to be someone more handsome than Tom Cruise. Do you have any suggestions?

Click here to watch Nosferatu. It's a silent movie with music. Nosferatu is only onscreen about 10 minutes. The whole movie is about 90 minutes long.

How Was Your Vacation?

Many businessmen in Japan have an interesting vacation whenever they get a few days off in a row. Golden Week (from April 29 to May 6th or so) is an opportune time for the businessmen to rush out of Osaka or Tokyo and return to Kanazawa for some Hard Work. Many businessmen's parents still own and operate small farms, usually growing rice but also a variety of other foods such as apples, pears, cucumbers, and potatoes.

But the older people can't run it completely by themselves. They need help at least during planting season and harvest season. Fortunately for them, planting season comes about the same time as Golden Week. Convenient! Businessmen rush home (with their families, wives and older children are allowed to participate) and help plant whatever crops need to be planted.

Harvest season coincides nicely with another vacation called Obon (mid or late August, depending on where you live.)

Finally, some businessmen don't return just twice a year but every day. They work in a company during the day and after work, return to their parents farms and help out with whatever needs to be done. They have two full time jobs. It's no wonder that on Saturday night they want to relax in a bar with their friends and a few schooners of beer.

Below is a video of a typical rice planting. The 'traditional' method - planting by hand - seems to be done primarily by women. The machine is handled by the men.

A New Episode of Hokudai/Cast

Hokudai/Cast 109: What is Golden Week?

Listen, if you wish, to Hokudai/Cast 109: What is Golden Week? below or go to our website at Hokudai/Cast. In this episode we talk about Golden Week and life for a senior student who is looking for a job. Finding a job this year is difficult because the world economy - upon which Japan depends so much - is not in good shape.

In next week's Hokudai/Cast she will talk about her life in England. She also talks briefly about going to Paris and dance clubs. She went on 海外自習 a year or so ago and enjoyed the experience.

What is Golden Week?

Golden Week in Japan (there's one in China, too) consists of four holidays pushed up close together. The first one is Showa - you know him perhaps as Hirohito - Emperor's birthday and then followed closely by Constitution Memorial Day, Green Day (not the band), and Children's Day. There used to be a Boys' Day and a Girls' Day but only the Boys' Day was a national holiday. Sometime in the 80s, the two were combined into Children's Day (May 5th, which was traditionally Boys' Day.)

• April 29 Emperor's Birthday (天皇誕生日 ,Tennō tanjōbi)
  
  
• May 3 Constitution Memorial Day (憲法記念日 ,Kenpō kinenbi)
  
  
• May 4 Greenery Day (みどりの日 ,Midori no hi)
  
  
• May 5 Children's Day (子供の日 kodomo no hi)
  
  Since all the holidays are smashed up together, it is a great time for companies to close up shop and let all their employees take a vacation. The most popular destination seems to be grandmom's house. People return to their hometown or their parents' homes. The highways have massive traffic jams (measured not in time but in length; some are 35 kilometers long) and the trains are packed solid with travelers.
  
  About 10% of the population of Japan leaves the country, usually for places in Asia like Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore. It is a great time to stay home and enjoy being with friends and family.
  
  This year, because of the economy being so depressed, companies are allowing employees almost two weeks of vacation. This is the longest continuous paid vacation most employees have ever gotten.
  
  

TOIEC Quiz: Simple Comparisons

TOEIC One: Simple adjectives » Quiz Maker

44 US Presidents: From George to Barack

If you've ever wondered what the 44 men who have been presidents of the US look like, here's your chance. While listening to snappy music, you can check to see who was the last US president with a beard or mustache and who was the first US president to show his teeth for his official portrait.

Lycanthropy and anthropomorphic

Lycanthropy is made up of two words: Lykos from Greek meaning 'wolf' and anthropy meaning 'human.' Lycanthropy is the more technical term for a werewolf. (狼人間 in Japanese).

Anthropomorphic means to treat a non-human like a human: many people think their dogs or cats are 'just like people.' Anthro means 'human' and 'morph' means 'form'.

Recently in movies we can see lots of computer generated (CG) morphing. Morphing, however, has been around for a long time, as you can see in this three-minute video about a movie about a werewolf called "Wolfman"

An Impassioned Speech from a Deadly Politician

Here is a rough translation about what this man is saying with such passion.

We do not want to lie or swindle the people. Therefore, I reject giving people cheap promises. In ourselves is the future of the German people. We ourselves must lead the people to the top by our own work, by our own decisiveness and by our own behavior.

He was obviously an impassioned speaker. What else did he do besides give passionate  speeches?

500 Years in Two Minutes

500 Years of Women in Western Art - click play and enjoy. (The music is J.S. Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major BWV 1007: IV. Sarabande). This is from PodDesk.

500 Years of Women in Western Art sent by guest

Sunday Fun!

World War One

A google video about World War One. Watch it and try to listen to the words. Many of the first words are on screen.

What caused World War One? (In Japanese)

Part One

Some people say nationalism. Each country wanted to be the leader. People were proud of their countries. Governments wanted to grow and make their countries larger. People were very nationalistic - they thought their country was not only the best, but that other countries were bad. They thought their country was always right. (Nationalism is similar to patriotism. Patriotism is 愛国心 but nationalism is more vicious than patriotism. America is very nationalistic right now.)

Some people say business. Each country wanted to increase business and trade. With the increase in competition came an increase in friction between countries. Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Italy, and the US controlled a lot of business. In fact, Germany was growing faster and was more productive than Great Britain before World War One.

Some people say alliances - treaties between countries. Both countries agree to help each other if one is attacked by another country. Today America has an alliance with Japan. If any country were to attack Japan, America would help Japan.

Some people say the military buildup. Each country was building up their military. Each country increased the number of people in their navy and army. If there was a problem with another country, the military was called. People were proud of the nation and of their army.

Part Two

The spark that set off World War One was  in the Balkans. The Balkans were known as the Powder Keg of Europe because of the many nationalistic people who were very angry.

England, France, Russia. Italy, US, and Japan (Allied Powers)

Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire. (Central Powers)

Austria-Hungary and Serbia often fought wars. One war was about business. Another war was fought in 1912 between the Ottoman Empire against Serbia and Greece. Some people say World War I was a continuation of this 1912 Balkan War. (In Japanese)

When Gavrilo Princip (second from right in the picture, getting arrested) a Serbian, killed the archduke of Austria, Franz Ferdinand, in Saravejo, Austria-Hungary demanded that Serbia become part of Austria-Hungary. Of course, Serbia refused. Austria-Hungary invaded Serbia. Because of all the alliances: Germany helped Austria-Hungary. Russia helped Serbia. France helped Russia. And England helped France. Because of nationalism, business competition, alliances, and the military build-up, World War One began. Eventually, Japan and the US would help France, England, and Russia.

In the end, over 14 million people (about the population of Tokyo; 10% of the population of Japan) died.

But also, empires died. The Ottoman Empire ceased to exist after World War 1. The Austria-Hungary empire ceased to exist. The Russia empire ceased to exist. The Russian Revolution, lead by Vladimir Lenin (at left), occurred in 1917, before the end of World War 1. 

And Germany, which was a democratic kingdom ruled by the Kaiser (from the Roman word Caesar), changed very dramatically. Dramatically enough to elect Adolph Hitler to power.

World War One, World War I, WWI, and The Great War are all the same war.

Verne & Melies' "Journey to the Moon"

Georges Melies 

Jules Verne

Scroll down and click on the audio player (below the movie) to hear this post. Read as you listen.

One of the first science fiction writers, Jules Verne, and one of the earliest filmmakers, Georges Melies, combined to make one of the first science fiction movies called "Journey to the Moon." One of the earliest filmmakers was a Frenchman whose name I can't quite pronounce but I think it is Georges Melies or Melies - he made a movie of Jules Verne's novel, "Journey to the Moon."

Because he was one of the early filmmakers, he developed a number of techniques: multiple exposures, time lapse photography, dissolves, and, of course, hand coloring because he had no color. He was originally a magician. He started making movies in 1896. They're not the long movies that everybody makes now but shorts, probably. He made 500, over 500,  in 20 years. His most famous is this "Trip to the Moon," which he made in 1902.

"The Trip to the Moon" was written by Jules Verne, a Frenchman who began the science fiction genre. And he wrote a number of famous novels. First, "Journey to the Center of the Earth" in 1864; "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" which was written in 1870; and "Around the World in 80 Days" which was written in 1873. He wrote a novel called "From the Earth to the Moon" in 1865 and it was this novel that Georges Melies made into the movie, "A Journey to the Moon." Altogether, Jules Verne wrote about 60 novels. 

The movie, "Journey to the Moon," is about 10 minutes long. Please watch and please enjoy. (It's a silent movie but this one has sound attached.)

Listen Here! Listen to the words as you read. Click play for "Moon Movie."

How do you learn?

There are four learning styles. They are:

• Auditory
  
• Kinesthetic (movement)
  
• Visual
  
• Tactile
  

An auditory student likes to hear instructions. (25%)

A kinesthetic student likes to do the activity in order to learn the activity. (45%)
A visual student likes to look at pictures, maps, and images to learn. (30%)

A tactile student learns through writing and drawing. 

Which style do you use?

There is another list that includes:

• Verbal 
  
• Logical 
  
• Visual
  
• Musical
  
• Physical
  
• Extrovert
  
• Introvert
  

A verbal student learns through talking and reading about the activity. (similar to tactile)

A logical student learns with numbers, games, and logic.

A visual student learns by looking. (visual)

A musical student learns by listening. (auditory)

A physical student learns by doing. (kinesthetic - movement)

An extrovert student likes to work with others.

An introvert student likes to work alone.

Which style do you use?

Then some people say there are only three learning styles:

• Audio
  
• Visual
  
• Kinesthetic (movement)
  

and that students use all three to learn. They use all three but they use them at different times and at different intensities. They use different learning styles for different tasks. Students also combine learning styles.

Which style do you use?

Please enjoy watching these videos. All of them are in English.

Read more here:

Four learning styles.

Multiple intelligences.

Three learning styles.

未来創造 - 初編

私の未来創造学部の学生は何を学ぶ？

Running with B Class • 一年生のアンケット

Topics - 話題

Cake	Dancing and Ice Hockey Clubs
Ice Skating	Beethoven's 9th Symphony
Part-time Jobs	Travel During Winter Vacation
Christmas in China	Hokuriku University English Classes
Shintate-machi	PlayStation Portable
Indies Music in Kanazawa

Writing • 二年生の英作文

Topics - 話題

Punk Rock	New Year's Day	Japanese Literature
Japanese Confections	Keita Ogawa	Lust, Caution (映画)
美川市	小松市	和服
History of Christmas	Erin Brockovich (映画)	New York City
Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa

Podcasting • 三年生の声 (ポッドキャスト)

英語、中国語と日本語で22回のHokudai/Casts を録音と発表しました.