Off Topic: Sita Sings the Blues

Something not cute- or anime-related on this blog, but important nonetheless. Everyone reading this, go [here] and watch this wonderful animated film.

DO IT NOW OR YOU WILL REGRET IT

A new post with actual content coming tomorrow, I promise.

Video- "The Science of Cute"

From Popular Science, a charming little video about the "science of cute"- probably basic stuff to readers of this blog, but a good watch nonetheless.

Via [Cute Overload].

Design Benign at AnimeBoston 2009

I will be running two panels at this year's AnimeBoston, a convention celebrating Japanese animation, comics and pop culture. This event is taking place at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, MA, May 22-24.


Discover why cuteness is ubiquitous in the land of Hello Kitty, what cuteness means in Japanese culture, and how this brand of cute is invading American shores.



Otaku spending pumps over 4 billion dollars annually into Japan's economy. Discover how nerdy anime fans went from basement dwellers to a powerful cultural, economic and political force. I will be co-hosting this panel along with [http://alexleavitt.com/].

Note: The image in the banner is from "moe rice". The small farming town of Ugo, Japan was suffering economic woes, unable to sell much of the rice it produced, until it started bagging its rice crop in bags decorated with [moe] anime characters. Within the first month of sales, 36 tons of rice were sold, compared to the 18 tons they used to sell annually. [Source]

Dates and times are subject to change, but this is what was given in the confirmation e-mail from the panels coordinator.

Update 4/24/09: The location of "Akiba Empire" has been changed from Ballroom A in the Hynes Convention Center, to the Constitution Ballroom in the Sheraton Hotel. The date and time remain the same, as of now.

Information about AnimeBoston can be found at [www.animeboston.com].

Material Cute

[source]

Cuteness may have a signature color - pink - and a signature animal - kittens and puppies - and even a signature shape - round. But does it have a signature fabric?

It sure does, and it's not lace or tulle or anything else found on a dancer's tutu. The favored fabric of hat makers of centuries past (and of course [conceptual artists]), felt is cute's signature material. The oldest known man-made fabric, prized for its durability and affordable manufacturing, felt has become the darling of the modern crafting scene. A quick search on Etsy for felt crafts turns up hundreds of entries. The hipster crafting vendor event [Felt Club] is even named after this material.

It's no surprise that felt has grown to such a status. Cheap and available in a rainbow of colors, it's easy to manipulate and can be sewn without the aid of a sewing machine, making it perfect for constructing dolls, [teeny plush cakes], and [palm-sized pets]. Felt brings up memories of childhood- felt puppets and cut-outs used in preschool play.

This mix of accessibility, ease of manipulation and nostalgia makes felt the cutest fabric material.

Personal: Accepting Pink

I pretty much grew up - and still am - the dictionary definition of a tomboy. My hair has not grown beyond three inches in years, dresses are absent from my closet, and the only "make-up" that touches my face is chapstick.

Like most young girls, though, my parents dressed me in pink. I even had a pink tutu during a brief stint of ballet lessons. But entering elementary school, when I began to develop a sense of autonomy, I realized that although girls were "supposed" to wear pink, they were not granted any respect for it. Girly things were mocked, viewed as a sign of weakness. Fed on a diet of Ramona Quimby and Roald Dahl's Matilda, I didn't care for that notion. Thus, I shunned all things pink, wrapping my life in dark blue and black.

However, over the last two years, I have developed a strange attachment to the color. It started with choosing the pink Nintendo DS over the black and white versions, and later acquiring a pink cell phone and pink laptop case. Pink shoes and clothing have snuck into my stark wardrobe. Just recently, I purchased a light pink luggage set.

So what's with the sudden turn of heart? The Design Benign project obviously has had some influence, diving into the world of Hello Kitty and cute electronics all in the name of research. Over the course of time I've realized that not all cute, pink stuff is "bad."

Of course, pink is still seen in the West as a feminine color. Cell phones and gaming devices make half-hearted attempts to market to women by offering pink versions of their products. The trademark soft shade of pink of breast cancer awareness adorns everything from travel mugs to coffee makers. But as I explored in an [earlier post], pink - particularly the ironic eighties-inspired hot pink - is treading where pink was previously absent. And I have adopted it into my personal style.

My fashion style is a cross between stereotypical designer and British school boy- lots of black and grey and navy. However, I also like bright colors, and a splash of pink goes nicely with most of my clothes. Combining that with my usually masculine attire creates a nice contrast. I still enjoy the looks my parents and peers give me when they see me in pink, after expressing disgust with the color for most of my life.

But I have a practical reason for liking pink, too. After frequently losing my cell phone in my apartment, its pink case acts like a beacon, allowing me to find it easily. This is also the thought behind my new pink luggage set. Set among black and navy suitcases on an airport carousel, I would be able to spot it from the other end of the terminal.

Though I do complain about the lazy practice of marketing electronics to women by making them pink, I'm tired of white and black being the standard colors for computers, phones and gaming systems, and will try to find alternative colors, even if it's just pink.

So, while I doubt I will reach Elle Woods-levels of pinkdom anytime soon, I've realized that pink is a fun, useful color, and one that I will continue to adopt and explore in the future.