A close one…

Woman falls in front of an oncoming subway train in Boston, which stops just in time.

Why Japanese homes often lack central heat and insulation

Wide Island View explains, via Japundit.

State of the Blogosphere 2009

Results of the annual Technorati survey.

There be zombies…

A diverting weekend read from Men’s Journal…

Interview with Jimmy Wales

Silicon.com talks with the Wikipedia founder about what’s coming next.

Music that calms monkeys

According to a study by a professor at the University of Wisconsin, monkeys are calmed by Metallica and by music composed specially for them, reports the Washington City Paper.

Current event Halloween costumes

Billy Mays, Balloon Boy, Octomom, etc.

JR East Japan using blue lights as suicide prevention measure

This report in GlobalPost describes the effort, which involves installing blue LED lights on station platforms. The theory is that the calming effect of the blue light might change the frame of mind of those intending to jump off the platform in front of an oncoming train.

They give a figure of 68 train platform suicides in 2008, though it isn’t clear whether that is nationwide or just on JR East (which includes the Tokyo and the rest of the Kanto region).

Via Japundit.

Google making us smarter?

As explained in this short piece and the embedded video, brain research is uncovering evidence that using tech may increase cognitive functioning.

There has been a debate over whether the Internet is making us stupid, that I blogged about a year or so ago.

Gaijin Bochi

Short piece in Japan Today about Yokohama’s Foreigners’ Cemetery (Gaijin Bochi).