Mobile Ojisan
The future is now in the land of the rising sun
by Matsushita Shuji, Japan
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A pair of kinky gloves make your winter surfin' toasty
Nov 14, 2005 10:19Japanese are incredibly stingy. People hate to install a central heating system into their house, even though winter temperature plummets below zero.
"Why heat up the space you aren't using? It's ridiculous!".
Instead, our favorite winter gear is Kotatsu, a wooden frame covered with a thick square quilt. Inside of the frame is an electric/charcoal heater, radiating a gentle heat on your lower body. Your upper body and brain stay sub-zero.
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| Kotatsu, and your lazy Mobile Ojisan dozing in it |
Kotatsu computing is a bit troublesome. Because your hands work as a kind of radiator, fingers soon freeze solid. You have to stick them into kotatsu to defreeze and recover the blood circulation. During that time, you can't type anything on your keyboard.
Here comes a pair of heated gloves to save this digital doldrums, powered by USB.
Works two ways. Fingertips coverd/uncovered. |
Voila! Connected to USB. You need two USB jacks, though. |
Dubious merits:
+ Absolutely, totally no hardware butting.
+ Installation so easy, no driver, no lengthy instruction manual, no nothing!
Dubious shortcomings:
- Absolutely, totally unnecessary and ridiculous in Singapore.
- When you go to loo, usually you forget you are physically hooked to your computer, and wreck your laptop by dragging it down from kotatsu!
Where to buy:
Thanko of Nipponbashi, Osaka . This shop is specialized in kinky and rare digital goods.
Price tag:
USGlove10 (a set of both hands) 2,980 yen (US$25)
USGlove1R (for your right hand) 1,980 yen (US$17)
USGlove1L (left hand only) 1,980 yen
Final verdict: Ah well, what can I say?
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About Matsushita Shuji
When he is not investigating (and buying) the latest gadgets, Matsushita Shuji is a retired professor of African linguistics from the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. He is also occasionally known as a mobile ojisan, though he will deny this vehemently.
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