The ancient art of paper folding known as origami (formed from 'ori (折り)'
meaning folding and 'kami (紙)' meaning paper) has been used for centuries,
but in recent years research teams have adapted the origami folding
technique to many other interesting applications, ranging from
microscopic stomach cleaning robots to solar sails and telescopes that
can unfold in outer space. One obstacle to its full potential, though,
has been achieving mass production.
Professor Ichiro Hagiwara, Ph.D., a professor in Meiji University's
Institute for Advanced Study of Mathematical Sciences, and his origami
engineering research team have been working to solve this problem and
have successfully developed a 3D origami printer. He believes
origami-based manufacturing will greatly improve our lives in the near
future in fields like automobile safety technology, car parts, space
development systems, beverage containers, and more.
Watch the "Origami Changes Everything" video below to learn more. [The
video is also available with Japanese subtitles (日本語字幕) here.] It's one of
several other videos in Meiji University's "Incredible Senseis" series
viewable here in a YouTube playlist.
Origami Changes Everything
[The
video is one of
several others in Meiji University's "Incredible Senseis" series.]
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
Jan. 1,
2021 - 1st Sunrise of the New Year in Tokyo - 初日の出 Hatsuhinode
Hatsuhinode (初日の出) is the Japanese Shinto tradition of viewing the 1st
sunrise of the New Year to greet Toshigami (年神), the god of the New
Year, with hopes of receiving good luck, well-being, and health. Before
sunrise on January 1, many people will drive to the coast, climb a
mountain, or go to the top of a tall building or structure, like the
Tokyo Sky Tree or Tokyo Tower, to view it. Here's the one which
occurred in Tokyo this morning at 6:51 am. Happy New Year!! May we all
be blessed this year with "good luck, well-being, and health."
1st Sunrise of the
New Year in Tokyo - 初日の出 Hatsuhinode
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
Dec. 28,
2020 - Ten Characteristics of People who end up Rich
Hindsight is 2020, and so it's time to look forward to a new start! Dan Miller,
author of "48 Days to the Work You Love," has some ideas on how to
enjoy a prosperous New Year. HAPPY TWENTY TWENTY-ONE, everybody!
Ten Characteristics of People who end up Rich:
Expect Success
Create a clear plan
Work Hard
Avoid Debt
Be teachable and a lifelong learner
Exercise self-control, persistence, and delayed
gratification.
Accept Personal Responsibility
Keep Good Company
Remain Opportunity conscious
Enjoy the present but plan for the future
Dec. 26,
2020 - The New York Hudson Yards Vessel
A good friend of mine in London who's an architect with the Thomas
Heatherwick design studio there, recently introduced me to an amazing
project his firm designed in the Hudson Yards in New York City.
The "Vessel" is an open-air, 16-story honeycomb-shaped spiral staircase
for visitors to climb. Comprised of 154 intricately interconnected
flights of stairs – almost 2,500 individual steps and 80 landings – the
attraction offers remarkable views of New York City and the Hudson
River. WOW!
Dec.
19, 2020 - 2020 Tokyo Midtown illuminations (東京ミッドタウンのイルミネーション)
Highlights include the Snow Light Globe, Step Lights, Midtown Ice Rink,
and the Santa Xmas tree with 1800 mini Santa figurines. Wow! Don't miss
the ice skater with colorful lights on his skates! Merry Xmas,
everybody...
2020 Tokyo Midtown
illuminations, Roppongi, Dec. 5, 2020
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
Dec. 3,
2020 - Santa Mickey (サンタ ミッキー) thrills the masses...
2020 was indeed a tough year for many folks, but the good news is
that 2021 is just around the corner! To help boost your spirits, back
by popular demand this year is the famous Santa Mickey, who for the
past decade has thrilled kids worldwide
with Xmas carol karaoke practice. Happy holidays from Santa Mickey!!
All 5 videos are in a playlist
and will play continuously, non-stop. Or click on the playlist symbol
in the upper right corner
above to select any of the other 4 videos. OR... play the
entire playlist in a new window here.
Nov. 25,
2020 - 'Tis the season....
...for the gorgeous fall colors in Tokyo! Let the fun begin! After SO
many years of living in this beautiful country, I can still never get
enough of the non-stop display of fall foliage which begins here every
year around mid-November. Hopefully I'll have more to share in the
weeks ahead!
Mizumoto Park, Tokyo, Japan
Nov. 5,
2020 - Motivating Students With the Quizizz Classroom App
The presenter, who has enjoyed success motivating students using
real-time online classroom games like Quizlet Live, recently added
another new game to his repertoire called Quizizz, a free online tool
for creating quizzes where students can use their mobile devices to
compete against each other in the classroom. This video introduces the
Quizizz app, including demonstrating the classroom Live Game mode, as
well as how Quizizz can be used for out-of-class study.
Motivating Students
With the Quizizz Classroom App
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
0:00 Intro & presentation outline
1:33 Presenter’s background & experience with gamification
3:44 Intro to Quizizz
5:16 Quizizz Features
6:20 Quizizz Effects on Student Motivation
8:00 Quizizz website
13:23 Types of questions & creating questions
14:50 Video demo of a live Quizizz game
20:27 “Reports” feature for student assessment
23:59 Reference sources
24:23 Contact details
Oct. 24,
2020 - America in
Peril — America 2020 Predicted in 1961
America In Peril exposes the list compiled in 1961 that details the
specific goals necessary to destroy Christianity in America, destroy
the republic, and implement a godless Marxist, communist system of
government.
The 45-item list was published in 1961 in “The Naked Communist” by
former FBI
Agent W. Cleon Skousen and is shown at the conclusion of the video
below.
Most of the communist goals have been achieved, and our country is on
the brink of becoming a communist country where liberty is crushed and
the people live in fear and misery.
Watch this shocking analysis of what is going on in the United States
today and what we face in the crucial upcoming election. Conduct your
own analysis, pray, and vote. (Source: Buzzsaw Media)
America In Peril —
America 2020 Predicted in 1961
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
Oct. 17,
2020 - We can never be too careful...
...to protect ourselves against COVID-19!! Meanwhile in my home state
of Texas, this guy is Double-Filtered,
ha ha...
Meanwhile in Texas
Oct. 6,
2020 - Japanese
"high-jumper" (ハイジャンパー）
This interesting piece of Japanese playground equipment is known as a
"high-jumper" (ハイジャンパー）, to measure how high you can jump up and
touch. The little numbers range from 210-280 and indicate height
in centimeters, e.g. the red "225" represents 2.25 m (~7 ft. 5 in.).
Only in
Japan...
Japanese "high-jumper" (ハイジャンパー）
Sept.
25, 2020 -
NASA's Space Shuttle Columbia (スペースシャトル・コロンビア) is found alive and
well....in TOKYO!
Just when I thought that all of NASA's space shuttles had been retired,
then while out on my bike earlier this year, I found Space Shuttle
Columbia
(スペースシャトル・コロンビア)
parked on the rooftop of a Tokyo kindergarten, disguised as a piece of
children's playground equipment.
Space Shuttle Columbia (スペースシャトル・コロンビア) in Tokyo
Sept. 12,
2020 - THE FAMILY TREE OF VINCENT VAN GOGH:
The dizzy aunt -- Verti Gogh
The brother who ate prunes -- Gotta Gogh
The brother who worked at a convenience store -- Stop N Gogh
The ballroom dancing aunt -- Tang Gogh
The bird lover uncle -- Flamin Gogh
The fruit-loving cousin -- Man Gogh
An aunt who taught positive thinking -- Way-to-Gogh
A sister who loves disco -- Go Gogh
His niece who travels in an RV -- Winny Bay Gogh
The grandfather from Yugoslavia -- U Gogh
His magician uncle -- Where-diddy Gogh
His Mexican cousin -- A Mee Gogh
The Mexican cousin's American half-brother -- Gring Gogh
The nephew who drove a stage coach -- Wells-far Gogh
The constipated uncle -- Can't Gogh
The little bouncy nephew -- Poe Gogh
The great-niece who worked at an organic dyeing factory -- Indi Gogh
The safari-cousin -- Con Gogh
The half-brother who exported cars from Japan -- Car Gogh
And I saw you smiling, so...there ya Gogh!
Vincent van Gogh's self-portrait
(public domain, courtesy
of Wikipedia)
Aug. 28,
2020 - The final
TGIF sunrise of August 2020! :-)
Edo River (江戸川), Tokyo, Japan
Fri. Aug. 28, 2020, 5:11 am
Aug. 18,
2020 - Funny Japanese store names
One of the pleasures of living in Japan are the delightful little
surprises one routinely encounters in a typical day. For example,
strolling thru Tokyo shopping malls might raise a few eyebrows while
trying to decipher the creative use of English in some of the shop
names! Never a dull moment in the Land of the Rising Sun...
American Holic store in Tokyo, Japan
Awesome Store in Tokyo, Japan
Love Toxic store in Tokyo, Japan
3 Coins store in Tokyo, Japan
Aug. 6,
2020 - YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN TEXAS IN AUGUST WHEN…
- Trees are whistling for dogs.
- The best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance.
- Hot water now comes out of both taps.
- You learn that a seat belt buckle makes a pretty good branding iron.
- You discover that it only takes 2 fingers to steer your car.
- You break into a sweat the instant you step outside at 7:30 am.
- The temperature drops below 95 (35 C) and you feel a little chilly.
- You discover that you can get sunburned through your car window.
- You actually burn your hand opening the car door.
- Your biggest bicycle wreck fear is, 'What if I get knocked out and
end up lying on the pavement and cook to death?'
- You realize that asphalt has a liquid state.
- The potatoes cook underground, so all you have to do is pull one out
and add butter, salt, and pepper.
- Farmers are feeding their chickens crushed ice to keep them from
laying boiled eggs.
- The cows are producing only evaporated milk.
Ah, what a great place to call home.
God Bless the Great State of Texas.
July 26,
2020 - Social distancing failure
Oops! Looks like someone's brain wasn't firing on all cylinders when
laying out these waiting lines on a Tokyo subway station platform. But
definitely worth a hearty laugh, ha ha!
Social distancing failure (photo credit:
David Couvreur)
July
20, 2020 - I have ARRIVED!! :-)
I'm finally moving up in the world. At long last, after a remarkable
six decades, I've finally been granted my own personal parking space...
Gary's new personal bicycle parking space
July
13, 2020 - Lettuce face mask! :-)
Lettuce come together.
Romaine calm.
This may just be the tip of the iceberg.
July 4,
2020 - Happy Birthday, America! (お誕生日おめでとう、アメリカ！)
Today, on the occasion of America's 244th birthday, I just want to
share a song that has truly touched my soul. It's America's national
anthem, "The Star Spangled Banner," sung by a precious little
8-year-old girl named Malea Emma. WOW, what a BIG, beautiful voice from
such a tiny little person!
"The Star Spangled
Banner," sung by Malea Emma
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
Have your say about this page! Feel free to comment in the box below:
Website
Updates
Jan 15, 2021
Origami (折り紙) Changes Everything
The ancient art of paper folding known as origami (formed from 'ori (折り)' meaning folding and 'kami (紙)' meaning paper) has been used for centuries, but in recent years research teams have adapted the origami folding technique to many other interesting applications, ranging from microscopic stomach cleaning robots to solar sails and telescopes that can unfold in outer space. One obstacle to its full potential, though, has been achieving mass production.
Professor Ichiro Hagiwara, Ph.D., a professor in Meiji University's Institute for Advanced Study of Mathematical Sciences, and his origami engineering research team have been working to solve this problem and have successfully developed a 3D origami printer. He believes origami-based manufacturing will greatly improve our lives in the near future in fields like automobile safety technology, car parts, space development systems, beverage containers, and more.
Click link to watch the "Origami Changes Everything" video below to learn more. It's one of several other videos in Meiji University's "Incredible Senseis" series viewable in a YouTube playlist.
1st Sunrise of the New Year in Tokyo - 初日の出 Hatsuhinode
Hatsuhinode (初日の出) is the Japanese Shinto tradition of viewing the 1st sunrise of the New Year to greet Toshigami (年神), the god of the New Year, with hopes of receiving good luck, well-being, and health. Before sunrise on January 1, many people will drive to the coast, climb a mountain, or go to the top of a tall building or structure, like the Tokyo Sky Tree or Tokyo Tower, to view it. Here's the one which occurred in Tokyo this morning at 6:51 am. Happy New Year!! May we all be blessed this year with "good luck, well-being, and health."
A good friend of mine in London who's an architect with the Thomas Heatherwick design studio there, recently introduced me to an amazing project his firm designed in the Hudson Yards in New York City.
The "Vessel" is an open-air, 16-story honeycomb-shaped spiral staircase for visitors to climb. Comprised of 154 intricately interconnected flights of stairs – almost 2,500 individual steps and 80 landings – the attraction offers remarkable views of New York City and the Hudson River. WOW!
2020 Tokyo Midtown illuminations (東京ミッドタウンのイルミネーション)
Highlights include the Snow Light Globe, Step Lights, Midtown Ice Rink, and the Santa Xmas tree with 1800 mini Santa figurines. Wow! Don't miss the ice skater with colorful lights on his skates! Merry Xmas, everybody...
2020 was indeed a tough year for many folks, but the good news is that 2021 is just around the corner! To help boost your spirits, back by popular demand this year is the famous Santa Mickey, who for the past decade has thrilled kids worldwide with Xmas carol karaoke practice. :-) Happy holidays from Santa Mickey!!
(click link to watch video of Santa Mickey Xmas carols)
Page 2 of the most frequently asked questions about climbing Mt. Fuji, including info on routes, maps, videos, transport access, weather, and climber stories.
Gary J. Wolff's Blog Archives, October-December, 2015
Posts include Little Texas Bar & Grill in Tokyo, world's oldest businesses, 60th anniversary of NORAD Tracks Santa, & the Mr. Wolfman song by Kazutoshi.
...for the gorgeous fall colors in Tokyo! Let the fun begin! After SO many years of living in this beautiful country, I can still never get enough of the non-stop display of fall foliage which begins here every year around mid-November. Hopefully I'll have more to share in the weeks ahead!
Motivating Students With the Quizizz Classroom App
The presenter, who has enjoyed success motivating students using real-time online classroom games like Quizlet Live, recently added another new game to his repertoire called Quizizz, a free online tool for creating quizzes where students can use their mobile devices to compete against each other in the classroom. This video introduces the Quizizz app, including demonstrating the classroom Live Game mode, as well as how Quizizz can be used for out-of-class study.
America In Peril exposes the list compiled in 1961 that details the specific goals necessary to destroy Christianity in America, destroy the republic, and implement a godless Marxist, communist system of government.
The 45-item list was published in 1961 in “The Naked Communist” by former FBI Agent W. Cleon Skousen and is shown at the conclusion of the video below.
Most of the communist goals have been achieved, and our country is on the brink of becoming a communist country where liberty is crushed and the people live in fear and misery.
Watch this shocking analysis of what is going on in the United States today and what we face in the crucial upcoming election. Conduct your own analysis, pray, and vote.
Posts include beautiful Spring 2019 flowers, including the baby blue eyes flowers in Hitachi Seaside Park and stunning cherry blossoms at Tokyo’s Chidorigafuchi Park.
The Gyotoku Bird Observatory is a 56-hectare natural habitat for aquatic birds in Ichikawa, Chiba, and a great place to escape Tokyo's concrete jungle.
This interesting piece of Japanese playground equipment is known as a "high-jumper" (ハイジャンパー）, to measure how high you can jump up and touch. The little numbers range from 210-280 and indicate height in centimeters, e.g. the red "225" represents 2.25 m (~7 ft. 5 in.). Only in Japan... :-)
NASA's Space Shuttle Columbia (スペースシャトル・コロンビア) is found alive and well....in TOKYO!
Just when I thought that all of NASA's space shuttles had been retired, then while out on my bike earlier this year, I found Space Shuttle Columbia (スペースシャトル・コロンビア) parked on the rooftop of a Tokyo kindergarten, disguised as a piece of children's playground equipment. :-)
The dizzy aunt -- Verti Gogh The brother who ate prunes -- Gotta Gogh The brother who worked at a convenience store -- Stop N Gogh The ballroom dancing aunt -- Tang Gogh The bird lover uncle -- Flamin Gogh The fruit-loving cousin -- Man Gogh An aunt who taught positive thinking -- Way-to-Gogh A sister who loves disco -- Go Gogh His niece who travels in an RV -- Winny Bay Gogh The grandfather from Yugoslavia -- U Gogh His magician uncle -- Where-diddy Gogh His Mexican cousin -- A Mee Gogh The Mexican cousin's American half-brother -- Gring Gogh The nephew who drove a stage coach -- Wells-far Gogh The constipated uncle -- Can't Gogh The little bouncy nephew -- Poe Gogh The great-niece who worked at an organic dyeing factory -- Indi Gogh The safari-cousin -- Con Gogh The half-brother who exported cars from Japan -- Car Gogh
The ancient art of paper folding known as origami (formed from 'ori (折り)' meaning folding and 'kami (紙)' meaning paper) has been used for centuries, but in recent years research teams have adapted the…
Hatsuhinode (初日の出) is the Japanese Shinto tradition of viewing the 1st sunrise of the New Year to greet Toshigami (年神), the god of the New Year, with hopes of receiving good luck, well-being, and heal…
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