Giant Robot Store and GR2 News

Beer Can Pouring Mastery “By attaching the device to a can of beer, one can achieve the perfect balance of beer and head when pouring into a glass.” Okay, no big, life-changing news in this story really. But there is a “cool” factor here which we thought you’d enjoy. The Japanese are renowned for their desire to achieve perfection in even the smallest things, and the simple act of pouring some cold brew from a can appears to be no exception. The Takara Tomy company is responsible for this one. After watching the video at the link you’ll probably agree with us that this is a perfect idea. (Japan Probe – Good Beer Head) It’s a “Hangover” For Ang Lee’s Son “A large portion of the business has less to do with your talents and more about your resourcefulness and willingness to adapt.” His father has directed some of the finest films of the past twenty years, including “The Wedding Banquet”, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Brokeback Mountain”. So you might think Mason Lee would naturally try to leverage the respect and success his dad Ang has earned in Hollywood. Not so. In fact, Mr. Lee is a humble NYU acting student who had to audition for his key role in “The Hangover, Part II” just like anyone else. (Wall Street Journal New York Culture– Mason Lee) There is also a brief video interview with Lee and other Asian-American “Hangover 2” cast members on Channel APA. (Channel APA – “Hangover 2” Asian-American Cast) The Miraculous Lone Pine Tree Brings Hope “Only one tree, estimated to be 270 to 280 years old, survived the tsunami. It has been a great emotional support to residents.” If you’ve seen any of the videos of the black, all-consuming waters of the tsunami that struck the Japanese coast after the March 11th earthquake, you will agree it is amazing anything survived. But one pine tree out of a beach-front forest of 70,000? To guess that the odds of this are extraordinarily high would probably be an understatement. Yet it happened in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, where botanical scientists have carefully taken branches from the survivor tree and grafted them onto other pines with the hope of recreating the forest that once stood. If all goes well, and there is no guarantee of that, the seedlings resulting from the grafted material should be ready for planting in three years. (Detroit Free Press – Lone Pine Tree) Kim Jong Il Repeats Himself in China. A LOT. “The sameness of Kim Jong Il’s toasts when he visits China is striking.” There really is no humor in what Kim Jong Il’s dictatorship has done to the people and resources of North Korea. It’s just wrong. However, there is a lot of humor to be found in the ways the strange man with the huge glasses presents himself to the world outside North Korea. In China, for example, he has a habit of basically saying the same thing every time he makes...
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