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Journeys throughout Tokyo still have yet to reveal a Nintendo DS Lite for me. I had my first steak today in 20ish years. It was at TGi Friday’s in Ginza. It was okay but it made me remember that I don’t like steak. Except if it’s filet mignon stuffed with blue cheese with a red wine demi-gloss … the one from Abigails in San Jose. Nothing can compare to that. Except that it cost about a pair of nice Adidas shoes. Oh well, it was an experience. Other than that we went shopping. E joined Tipness and had to get new shoes as they don’t allow street things to invade the gym. They have tanning beds but it’s typically Japanese. You use a coin to buy a ticket at a machine, then talk to a person to exchange the ticket for a coin, and then put the coin in the machine. Efficiency. They also don’t provide towels unless you pay extra. And if you have a tattoo, the you’re immediately banned from the club.

I’ve been reading “My Name is Red” which was a gift from E for Christmas. It won the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2006 and is quite interesting although dry at first. The name refers to the fact that the story has a swaying point of view … including the POV of the color red … you read it right … the story from the point of view of a color.

I was reading about Windows Vista and found it to be quite interesting despite my general predilections towards the mac side. The computerworld article is in depth. I was just amused to see them say such things as “There’s no two ways about it; they’re direct rip-offs of Mac OS X’s widgets. But if you’re going to steal something, why not steal from the best?” It’s the statement that MacOS is the best from YET ANOTHER PC mag that does it. Oh well. We actually got to touch Vista today in Akihabara and it looked … “neat.” The transparent windows were interesting as were the different effects of the windows and screens. It’s just that it seems too little too late of an aesthetic overhall to make windows relevant … yet so intensive in requirements to be still beyond relevant.

I tried to pick up a Nintendo DS, but they were all sold out STILL. I did see a case of them in Shibuya the other day but didn’t understand the rare supply issue … or that the one’s I saw were going for 11000 yen … a deal.

I instead applied my rampant consumerism to something I’ve long coveted from memory: A Kensington Trackball Optical which they insist on calling the Expert Mouse. I remember it lovingly from my Mac SE past, but it will take some time to get used to. Yes, it is totally unnecesary. I have another mouse i just got that is incredible, the Logitech Revolution notebook.

Whelp. Lot’s of walking around yesterday so we weren’t quite up to going out to the Sensoji Temple at midnight. It was a night of Tennis on the PC, Neverwinter Nights on the Mac, and the Colbert Report on the side. Dinner of scallops and mushrooms was nice to go along with it all.

Thanks to FreeMacWare I found this really cool program, LEGO Digital Designer. It’s for both Mac and PC and lets you create anything with virtual legos … and then, if you like, you can order the exact parts needed to build the thing in real lego life. Neat-o.