InventorSpot

MySpace is a good place to keep in touch with your friends... and if you're an Asian video game designer, it could be home to your break-through game.

Pikachu of Pokemon fame, known for his lightning-fast moves and shocking electric effects, has inspired the name of a new vision protein discovered by a group of Japanese researchers. See, nerds really do have a sense of humor!

It's hard to find shelving that fits a certain space, a special function, and modern minimalist design. But I think that Dutch designer, NL Architects, has created one. In fact, you might say the Strap is a very elastic design, able to meet a variety of space, function, and personal preferences.

Baseball in Japan has evolved quite a lot since Horace Wilson first introduced the sport in 1872, yet foreigners still find many aspects of Japanese baseball confusing – not least the the odd names of the teams. Let's run down the dozen Nippon Professional Baseball league teams (without actually running them down) and clear up any misconceptions.

There are a few expected fixtures in a bathroom and one of them is a toilet... yes, even in the most luxurious bathrooms, people still need a place to "go." Toilets have been in need of modernizing forever, and it's about time to replace that same old "john" that looks like everyone else's. Here are 10 contemporary, cool-looking, luxury toilets, some with matching bidets, from my favorite bathroom designers.

Part Two of Baseball in Japan Can Throw You a Curve looks at the six teams in NPB's Pacific League. The Pacific League corresponds to MLB's American League as a Designated Hitter is used – in the Central League, pitchers must hit. Leading off the sextet are the amusingly named Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, league champions in 2007.

Tokyo is plagued by crows. Not crowds (well, that's debatable) and definitely not cows, but crows. Noisy, aggressive flocks of crows have become such a huge problem that Tokyo city authorities have turned to nature in a desperate effort to combat the ravenous ravens – thousands of stinging bees!

The USB Cooler Mouse really blows... and I mean that in a good way. Well OK, I mean it literally – 5 buttons and an adjustable on-board fan make this multitasking mouse as cool as it gets!

A series of stark, black & white aprons and totes emblazoned with the Hakodate Juvenile Prison logo in both Japanese and English has proven so popular, inmates can't keep up with demand.

It's the Clothes Hanger Lamp. Yes, you read it right. It’s a lamp that uses clothing as a lampshade. Designed by Hector Serrano for the prolific Dutch design house Droog, the Clothes Hanger Lamp leaves a laundry list of opportunities to create new looks.

Learn more about covert cameras and how to spy with this comprehensive top ten list.

Need something on your bathroom door that says "bathroom" in a universal language? French designer Florence Doleac created a door handle that does just that. Poignée signalétique could be translated into "identifiable door handle" or an "identifiable handshake," as you wish. But let's not quibble about which translation to use; scatologic is universal.

Feminine protection – whether it's pads, napkins or liners, this essential women's hygiene product has been the last frontier for marketers who seek to embellish every product with “designer” cachet. No longer, at least not in Japan where new colorful pads sport stylish designer prints.

Naked lamps can be harsh on the eyes, but also on your interior design. An interesting lamp or chandelier shade allows your light to make a design statement that can change the whole atmosphere of its surroundings. Take this mildly spooky Lampshade by British textile artist Julie Roberts...

Starbucks is closing over 600 stores in the USA alone this year as the coffee giant goes through a painful contraction, yet its Japanese subsidiary continues to grow while posting very tasty sales numbers. Is Starbucks Japan doing something different, or are they destined to echo the mother company's boom and bust?

Imagine having your very own shopping robot who crawls the mall while you relax at home? Even better, you remotely control your robot shopper's movements and see through its electric “eyes”. You can also stop imagining... robo-shopper is (almost) here!

Japan's asbestos cancer “time bomb” ticks louder day by day as the nation's average population gets older and decades-long incubation periods for asbestos cancer and other diseases caused by asbestos exposure end. Now, several new technologies developed in Japan may make cleaning up the asbestos mess not only easier, but safer as well. Hmm, does WALL-E know about this?

"Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games" brings the video game icons together. Take a look at the video game version, and the real deal in Beijing.

When the Corvette ZR1 hit the Nurburgring a short while back, most people were impressed with the lap time of 7:26.4. General Motors recently released the video of the lap to give the world a taste of what the ZR1 is like on the famous Nurburgring.

Girls of a certain age may remember playing with Blythe, a big-headed doll introduced by American toy company Kenner in 1972. A generation later, Blythe has taken on a new life in far-off Japan. Blythe's most devoted Japanese fans hold her in such deep esteem, one might liken it to mania!