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• Japan Develops Fully Function Human Piloted Mecha Robots

Japan Develops Fully Function Human Piloted Mecha Robots

mecha-and-apocalyptic

posted by Aysohmay 19 minutes ago   ·   2 comments

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Japan has taken robotics to the next level. Suidobashi Heavy Industry has developed a fully functional mecha robot named Kuratas that can shoot rockets and 6,000 bullets per minute.
The mecha unit was debuted at Wonder Fest 2012 in Tokyo. It is about 4 meters high, weighs 4,500 kg and cost about $1.4 million USD.
Kuratas can be controlled by stepping into the one-man cockpit or on a smartphone using a 3G connection.
Pilots have a choice of 2 different weapons to use. The first is the LOHAS launcher which shoots rockets at its target. The second is a set of gatling guns capable of firing 6,000 rounds of ammunition every minute. The weapons system can lock on to targets and be activate by smiling.
Despite its limitations, Kuratas is another step towards the creation of futuristic war machines found in popular anime series such as Gundam. Japanese politicians have already stated that they would like to develop such machines
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Check out a video demonstration of Kuratas below:

HOW TO RIDE KURATAS - Suidobashi heavy industry

Suidobashi heavy industry : http://suidobashijuko.jp/

T-ara’s Hwa Young Full Press Release

The press release was issued on July 30 and translates as follows:

For T-ara’s group activities, when one member thinks of herself highly or when a member is moving differently than the group, I believe the team’s entire color and the entire team structure begins to shake.

I would like to inform you that the currently growing talks of making a T-ara member an outcast and discord within the group is not related to the truth.

Even from T-ara’s debut days there were talks of Eun Jung being an outcast, So Yeon being an outcast, Boram being an outcast and others, but these were all stemmed from jealousy at a young age which were quarrels that passed over one or two days before quickly being reconciled.

For [T-ara’s Budokan concert] we moved with some 230 staff members. The difference in will that the T-ara members were referring to was not about coming on and off stage.

If a member is just moving along, being careless and only thinking of one’s self, a performance can only squeak along leading to a performance that only seems fancy on the outside and make it impossible to hold a performance that focuses on the performance’s internal aspect which is what [the T-ara members] meant by saying all the stars and staff would have to hold the performance with their will.

The most important thing to staff and to stars is his or her health.

The reason being that the body has to be healthy and one’s condition good in order to show a great performance on stage.

Eun Jung once had a time she slipped and fell on an icy road and tore a ligament while Ji Yeon once injured her leg during a drama shooting leading her to be in a cast.

Additionally during the recent Japan tour, during the Osaka concert Ji Yeon crashed into a lighting equipment leading to a fracture in her nasal bone and though the hospital recommended emergency surgery and though our staff and the concert attendees were against her standing on stage, Ji Yeon would not let go of her intent to go on stage leading her to finish her performance and, upon returning to Korea, be admitted to the hospital for three days to receive surgery and treatment.

Hwa Young injuring her leg and unable to stand on stage was done for her protection. Despite her insisting she wanted to go on stage, all our staff and the T-ara members stopped her and Hwa Young followed her will to only stand on stage for Day by Day.

Therefore, the talk of differences in will by the T-ara members were not about coming on, and off, stage.

There are countless staff and managers who are giving their all for these stars while receiving a relatively low pay.

Even with the low salary these staff members are driving through the night without sleep, waiting on the stars 24 hours, checking their makeup and wardrobe behind the stage and creating the star’s wonderful appearances and doing so with the goal to create a top star one day sooner.

Additionally, the managers and most staff members are living in small-sized houses or dorms shared with some 3 to 7 other individuals.

If these staff members are being hurt and crying because of a specific star, feeling skepticism over their career path and even coming to switch careers, the T-ara members, who provide the public laughter and joy, are being pretentious and unreal.

The eight members of T-ara who live on the popularity provided by the masses believe in the importance of teamwork over the individual T-ara and because of this we took into respect the opinions of 19 staff members and believing that we shouldn’t have staff members who are having a hard time, I am informing you of a decision made after much contemplation.

I, and many others, believe this is the right decision and know this is a pain like that of tearing a piece off one’s own flesh, but decided this thinking of T-ara’s future and for T-ara’s continued existence and with the staff members, until 7 this morning, we helped the T-ara members to understand and persuaded them.

I’d like to add once more that there never was discord between the T-ara members and Hwa Young, nor any acts trying to make a member an outcast.

Previously I stated that members who did not work hard in the growth system for T-ara from 7 to 9 members and those who gave damages to another member could be replaced or be reinforced with additional members for T-ara’s future.

If T-ara thinks of itself first, become idle and move passively, T-ara will become T-ara in name only and with its insides empty. This is why I believe one should always be humble, strive hard and be refined in their feelings and character.

This is the only way I believe T-ara will move beyond Korea and to become a hallyu T-ara.

As Hwa Young is a rapper with much potential, Core Contents Media has decided to allow [Hwa Young’s] contract to be cancelled without condition and believe as the status of a free agent singer she will be able to find a good place and develop further as a singer.

We are deeply regretful and apologize for the concern we have given to T-ara’s many loving fans and can only say we are sorry to deliver an unfortunate and unsavory bit of news on T-ara’s third anniversary since its debut.

Additionally, myself and the Core Contents Media staff members are sorry we could not listen to the opinion of the T-ara members who wanted to find a way to continue with Hwa Young as I could not go against the feelings of the many staff members who had been experiencing hardships.

Lastly, I want to express my apologetic feelings to the T-ara members and pray Hwa Young will become a superb rapper.

Though the press release revealed the fate of T-ara and former member Hwa Young, many fans were left dissatisfied with the vagueness of the announcement. Such questions that lingered included why member Hwa Young was leaving the group if there was no discord, who the series of Tweets by the T-ara members was referring to if not Hwa Young and also the fate of Hwa Young’s twin sister Hyo Young who is also signed with Core Contents Media.

Japan’s Kyaryy Pamyu Pamyu Tweets Then Deletes About T-ara

Japanese fashionista and singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu has tweeted about T-ara and its controversy.

On July 30, the singer tweeted, “Outcasts are no good. Really low! They say the ones that are outcast have a problem too but that’s all a lie. The ones making others outcasts are 100%, 1000000000% bad! How much the tormented must be suffering… just reading the news makes my heart hurt.”

She added, “Though I’m not a group so I can’t be outcast, if I was together all the time with a group? I think I’d want to quit! I don’t think I would want to go.”

The singer also added her disappointment in T-ara saying, “I used to like T-ara but… I really don’t like this and I can’t understand. I really don’t like it.”

She later deleted the last tweet about T-ara.

T-Ara x Hwayoung: Aftermath

 

Core Contents Media, has shocked many fans and the like, by revealing that T-ara’s impending schedule will follow through as planned without any delays. A representative of Core Contents Media told OSEN news that T-ara will “resume as a seven-member unit without Hwayoung” and that “T-ara’s schedule will undergo no changes and will continue as planned.” “We planned the comeback just in time for the end of the Olympics,” states Kim Kwangsoo, “We wanted to carry the festive spirit of the Olympics into T-ara’s upcoming single.”
 ‘Sexy Love’ will be released on August 15th.

An SBS PD, after seeing the controversy unfold, defended Hwayoung by tweeting that he would no longer cast T-ara.
It seems as though the tweet was deleted shortly afterwards, however it sparked yet another round of controversy with fans now leaning towards Hwayoung being the victim of bullying and unfair treatment.
Due to this controversy, it’s been reported that T-ara is also facing issues with their upcoming concert, as all but 600 tickets to their concert were returned.

 

 The tweet and the Facebook comment have both been removed, but not before quick netizens made screen captures and spread it online, making the names of the producers reach number one on most searched.

 Netizens have discovered further evidence to prove the speculated rumors regarding Hwayoung being bullied to be true.

On November 6, 2011, a post titled, “Being an outcast.. Really is difficult and tiresome“, was uploaded onto Nate Pann, an online community forum, under the username ‘Suk Ryu’ (Ryu is Hwayoung’s last name).
Although the post has yet to be confirmed, netizens have speculated it to indeed be Hwayoung, as it well matched her current situation.
The message read:

Hello. I’ve been contemplating whether I should post this or not, but have decided to write a few things..
The group I’m in is… A group everybody will know just by revealing the group’s initial.
I’m a new member in the group, so it has been very awkward and because I’m also very timid, I’m unable to approach them easily… That’s one of the reasons why I’m becoming an outcast.
The original members must have strongly opposed my addition to the group…
I’m basically treated as if I’m an invisible at the dorm.
But when the cameras are rolling, they would suddenly have their arms around my shoulders.
When we’re practicing… I really feel like I’m going to die.
When I make a little mistake, I’d get criticized hearing things like, ‘You can’t even do this?’ and would get cursed at.
Even right now, I’m alone since they all went grocery shopping without me..
They’ll be back in a few hours, but I want to just forget about my singing career and leave.
However, this is the path I decided to take and I’m the one who decided to join, so it’s hard to do so.
I feel a bit better now that I’ve written this.
Thank you.

Criticisms have been rising for T-ara as more “evidence” is surfacing in regards to the bullying. In addition, a website titled T-Jinyo (“We Demand the Truth from T-ara”) was formed and is rapidly seeing an increase in members by the hour.

 

 

As previously reported, various fans and the like have been demanding that Eunjung be booted off from all broadcasts featuring the idol. Many comments were especially directed towards the idol’s segment in the variety show ‘We Got Married‘, and most recently, her role in the SBS drama ‘Five Fingers‘, set to debut its pilot episode in August.
However, chief producer Kang Shin Hyo has confirmed that no such thing will happen. “We have no plans of removing Ham Eunjung from this project,” states Kang, “None of the claims that have been brought up against T-ara and Eunjung have been proven to be true. We are not going to expell her from the production when nothing has been confirmed.”
“We didn’t cast all the members in T-ara,” continued Kang, “We casted Ham Eunjung and Eunjung only. The drama will air with Eunjung still a part of the cast.

T-Ara x Hwayoung Controversy

 

Over the weekend, T-ara has been the hot topic throughout the world of K-Pop, causing many fans to worry. Fans’ worst fears were then confirmed, when CCM (Core Contents Media) announced that Hwayoung would no longer be a part of T-ara. Let’s take a look at how this chaotic story came about.

Stage 1: The Plan

[7/25-26] T-ara‘s Budokan concert for ‘Jewelry Box‘ in Japan were treated to special unit performances from the girls. Held on July 25th and 26th, the members captivated the audience members with special individual and unit performances during the concerts. Eunjung, Jiyeon, and Hyomin put on a hip hop dance show to the tune of EXILE‘s “Choo Choo Train” while Soyeon let out her sexy side with a cover of Koda Kumi‘s “Cutie Honey“. Boram and Qri formed their own unit called ‘Unnis’ and showed off their adorable aegyo to AKB48‘s “Aitakatta“. Hwayoung was not able to perform throughout most of the concert due to a leg injury.

[7/25] Towards the beginning of the Budokan performance, Soyeon, Eunjung, Qri, Boram, Jiyeon, and Hyomin each greeted the fans one at a time, and afterwards Hwayoung came on stage with her crutches, and the fans encouraged her with their cheers. When the concert was nearly over, T-ara performed their hit song “Day By Day“, and finally Hwayoung appeared and performed her rap portion on stage on a chair.


After the concert, the T-ara members then posted a few tweets that netizens assumed was directed towards fellow member Hwayoung in a teasing manner, and the fans were shocked at the girls lashing out at Hwayoung and the fans are now questioning T-ara’s teamwork.

Female Rapper Lexy is Coming Back

It has been reported that female rapper and singer Lexy will be making a comeback after a 4 year hiatus!

With the upcoming album in August, this will be her first album since ‘Lexy‘, which was released in March of 2008.

For those unfamiliar with the artist, Lexy first made her debut in 2003 under YG Entertainment. She was the first female solo rapper to debut under the agency and also featured in many songs for the label’s other acts at the time like Jinusean, 1TYM, Se7en, and Wheesung.

She later parted ways with the agency on good terms in 2007, and was set to debut in Japan in 2008. However, with various problems arising, plans fell through. Although she had attempted at resuming her activities in Korea, she was unable to find an agency she felt was right for her, and thus led to her long hiatus.
She finally signed with Red Line Entertainment earlier this year and is getting ready to reveal the album she has been working on since last year in August.
Welcome back, Lexy!

Live Action Sengoku Basara

It has been earlier reported that Jrokcer GACKT will be starring in the live-adaptation of CAPCOM's game "Sengoku Basara~Moonlight Party~". In the said action-drama, Gackt will play as the Evil King Oda Nobunaga.

MBS released a preview of "Sengoku Basara" that also features the ending theme song performed by Gackt called "Hakuro".
"Sengoku Basara" will premier on July 12th.

Here is the preview:

Japan To Start Building Gundams!

Japan's Liberal Democratic Party will hold a 12 hour broadcast on Nico Nico Live to discuss the formation of a real life Gundam fighter robot.
2 members from the party, Masaaki Taira and Hideki Niwa, along with "Mobile Suit Gundam UC" writer Harutoshi Fukui, will hold a panel and speak about the party's plans to create walking humanoid robots like those seen in the popular the anime series Gundam.
In 2008, the Japan Science and Technology Agency estimated that the cost to build a fully function Gundam-like robot would be $725,000 USD for parts and material. Labor and other costs were not factored into the estimate.
Taira has held extended discussions in the past about developing piloted humanoid robots through his twitter account. He has also met with Katsuya Kanaoka, a professor of robotics at the Kyoto University, about the development of these machines.

T-Ara: Day By Day

 T-ara topped the Gom TV’s real-time music chart with a music video of their new song “Day By Day” in only thirty minutes after the video was released.
  People are showing their interest in the music video with such comments as: “It’s good. The song is awesome.” “T-ara always entertain us with this type of thing to watch.” Now here's my view on it~!

 After a brief delay, T-ara made their return today with the release of their new mini-album and the music video for their soon-to-be No. 1 smash hit, “Day by Day”.
  Keeping in theme with their last few single releases, the “Day by Day” music video is another mini-movie, clocking in at just over 10-minutes with five minutes of 'Making Of.' It features a futuristic sci-fi concept that comes after the group previously went retro for “Roly Poly” and gangster/mafia “Cry Cry” and “Lovey-Dovey”.
  In fact, they’ve virtually followed the exact same formula as their last two hits, snagging only two to three members for the mini movie. This time around it's Jiyeon and Hyomin that star in “Day by Day”, which has a dark and dramatic sound like “Cry Cry”, while Eunjung will join the pair in part II of the video, which will be for the Euro dance tune “Mirage/Don't Leave."
  Recent addition Dani, the 14-year-old who is scheduled to officially join T-ara later this year, is the only other member of the group to appear in the “Day by Day” video. CCM is only booking T-ara’s top actresses to star in the drama versions of their music videos, but it would be nice to see the other members included in some capacity, even if it’s just a non-speaking role in the background.

  Now for the video and song. The video directed by Cha Eun Taek, a famous music video director, it includes “Day By Day,” and “Don’t Leave Me.” composed by the famous composers Jo Young Soo and Kim Tae Hyun and written by Ahn Young Min. At the beginning, a narrator gives us a pretty standard sci-fi plot line about how everybody in 2333 wants to become a 'God,' behaving like violent animals and having 'God' turn the planet into an apocalyptic wasteland. New member Dani plays a young blind girl who possesses a mysterious power, while the flame-haired Hyomin, who seems to be her sister, is protecting her. Rumors spread of Dani’s gift, leading a bleach blonde war lord, played to absolute perfection by Jiyeon, to come after the pair in hopes of capturing Dani, in order to harness her power and take over the land (Last part is kind of expected).
  Hyomin looks utterly amazing with her Anime red hair, but Jiyeon completely steals the show as the evil war lord. She pulls off the sexy bitch role better than anybody else in K-Pop, so I’m glad to see her playing up to it.
  This is the first time we’ve seen Dani, other than in pictures, but despite the initial opposition from fans (including myself), it’s obvious that she’s going to make a great addition to T-ara. She somewhat looks like miss A’s Suzy, thicker eyebrows, a bigger nose and the four or five year age gap, but she’s still very distinctive, which is an important part of T-ara’s image. She actually seems like a better addition than Areum, who looks like another Visual for the group, but doesn’t stand out as much as Dani does (Qri 2.0 in short).
  The CGI effects, the costumes to the sets, “Day by Day” rocked and nailed everything on the visual front, instantly making it one of the best looking videos of the year. The storyline was entertaining, but I wouldn’t rank “Day by Day” as my favorite idol MV of 2012 just yet.
  In conclusion, “Day by Day” is going to be a hell of a song to beat and it is what makes T-ara’s trademark style and pushes it into slicker, glossier territory. It’s easy to see why T-ara’s the fastest rising group in Hallyu. I’m definitely obsessed with “Day by Day” and so far I can’t get enough. I'll be waiting for part II, but do hurry up! 

  T-ara's first performance of “Day By Day” will be on MBC TV’s Show! Music Core on July 7. Areum, the eighth member of T-ara, will also be part of the group from that day.

SISTAR's Bora Screamed and Soyu Cried, but Why?

A recent incident left SISTAR’s Bora and Soyou crying so much that the television show they were recording had to be halted.

In the July 2 broadcast of the dilemma-sharing talk show, KBS’ Hello, a security guard named Hwang Ho Hyun came on the episode to share how his fellow security guard partner’s many fears prevented his friend from being able to patrol the grounds at night.

Asked to demonstrate his security guarding skills, a person dressed as a ghost suddenly popped out and frightening everyone before being dispatched by the guard.

However the surprise proved too much for SISTAR’s Soyou and Bora, who were appearing on the show as guests, who began sobbing uncontrollably to the point the filming for the show had to temporarily be stopped.

SISTAR’s Hyolyn proved much braver than her members as she jokingly told off her other crying members that they were being too loud.

No ghosts for SISTAR please, thank you very much!

Photo credit: KBS

SM Town Youth Star Audition 2012

SM is famous for producing many of Korea’s top K-Pop stars, such as BoA, TVXQ, Super Junior, Girls’ Generation, SHINee, and f(x). A few of those stars were discovered through the SM Global Auditions, such as Super Junior-M‘s Henry, a finalist of the 2006 Global Auditions, and f(x)‘sAmber, who participated in the 2007 U.S. auditions, and more.
For this year, SM will be holding a new audition catered towards the youth of the world in their ‘Youth Star Audition‘ for those ranging from 8 to 20 years old. The auditions will take place in seven countries including South Korea, Japan, China, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States, and is open to all nationalities and genders.
Check out more details at the official ‘Youth Star Audition’ site here, and check below for the list of the North American dates and locations!

July 29th – Los Angeles, CA, USA
August 4th – New Jersey, USA
August 28th/29th – Toronto, Canada
September 1st – Vancouver, Canada
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The agency has also unveiled a few promotional videos for the upcoming auditions, so check them out below if you didn’t catch them before!