Nipponster Laboratory http://nipponster.com/labs Nipponster's mad science playground Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:07:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 en Technical difficulties :( http://nipponster.com/labs/2009/03/25/technical-difficulties/ http://nipponster.com/labs/2009/03/25/technical-difficulties/#comments Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:07:20 +0000 toritaiyo http://nipponster.com/labs/?p=146 Hi All,

Nipponster web search is having a technical problem today and you won’t be able to do any web searches :(

I’m so sorry that I caused this problem; I am really distressed over this. Please know that I take this very seriously. I am working diligently to correct the problem and to ensure that this cannot happen again. In the meantime, that is no consolation to you for our lack of service! What can I do to regain your trust?

]]> http://nipponster.com/labs/2009/03/25/technical-difficulties/feed/ Where the action is http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/09/09/where-the-action-is/ http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/09/09/where-the-action-is/#comments Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:36:00 +0000 toritaiyo http://nipponster.wordpress.com/2008/09/09/where-the-action-is/ Hi All,

Just another quick update. As mentioned before this blog is suspended for now.

Instead all of the action will be on DailyJ

ALSO
Anyone who wants to contribute to Nipponster development can check out the new Nipponster Lab on the JapanLabs social networking site!
See you there!

]]> http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/09/09/where-the-action-is/feed/ Focus http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/08/06/focus/ http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/08/06/focus/#comments Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:57:00 +0000 toritaiyo http://nipponster.wordpress.com/2008/08/06/focus/ To better focus efforts on creating a better search engine I am suspending this blog.

(ok, I know that sounds counterintuitive, but let me explain)

I need to focus resources and time where they will produce the best results.

Writing two blogs (this one and DailyJ) is too much.

So future Nipponster messages will be posted on DailyJ instead.

]]> http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/08/06/focus/feed/ Move to Wordpress inevitable http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/03/24/move-to-wordpress-inevitable/ http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/03/24/move-to-wordpress-inevitable/#comments Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:07:00 +0000 toritaiyo http://nipponster.wordpress.com/2008/03/24/move-to-wordpress-inevitable/ Just wanted to let everyone know that I will be moving this blog from Blogger to Wordpress.

Since launching DailyJ as a wordpress blog back in September 2007 I have fallen head over heels in love with wordpress.
(A special thanks goes to Jamaipanese for suggesting it over blogger)

And although I have a deep love for things Google (and think the Blogger tagging features are swell) I must make the switch.

Wordpress just gives the user so much more control.

]]> http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/03/24/move-to-wordpress-inevitable/feed/ Dreamers Never, Ever, Give Up http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/03/20/dreamers-never-ever-give-up/ http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/03/20/dreamers-never-ever-give-up/#comments Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:43:00 +0000 toritaiyo http://nipponster.wordpress.com/2008/03/20/dreamers-never-ever-give-up/ This blog post, written well over 6 months ago, resonates with me today even more than it did then. With the launch of DailyJ and the re-launch of Japanopedia I spread myself rather thin and neglected Nipponster. At the time of this post part of me felt like throwing in the towel and today too part of me feels like throwing in the towel. I have reached this point five or six times with Nipponster in its brief two year existence. But I have always pushed on. Nipponster has always persevered or reinvented itself. And today is no different. So here it is; an oldie, but a goodie:

Dreamers Never Give Up

Thursday, August 30, 2007

I have to be honest, sometimes I feel like giving up…

Trying to affect change and carry out a vision is hard work!

That’s what we are trying to do with Nipponster.com

We are trying to make the web a better place for Japan-enthusiasts

But it is not easy.

I did not think that it would be.

But I did not expect it to be this hard.

The main problem boils down to how to create buzz about our mission.

How can we get lots of people behind it?

How can we make them passionate about revolutionising Japan-related content on the web?

How do we get people involved in projects (like making a free comprehensive Japanese text book)?

We don’t know the answers yet.

And we could always use your input.

But one thing is for certain…

We are dreamers.

And Dreamers never give up!

-Tori

]]> http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/03/20/dreamers-never-ever-give-up/feed/ Nipponster in 2008 http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/01/30/nipponster-in-2008/ http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/01/30/nipponster-in-2008/#comments Wed, 30 Jan 2008 16:09:00 +0000 toritaiyo http://nipponster.wordpress.com/2008/01/30/nipponster-in-2008/ Where will Nipponster go from here?

That is the question we have been considering lately (well, always really).

We feel that Japan-related search is an important new field and expect it to grow, especially in 2008.

Admittedly, Nipponster is currently not even close to meeting the potential for this field.

The ability to search across the various mediums and niches of the web and quickly return only Japan-related results is the goal.

This will call for the launch of new search tools, refinement of current tools, and passion for the mission.

Onward we will go.

]]> http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/01/30/nipponster-in-2008/feed/ Improvements to the Nipponster Japan Toolbar http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/01/18/improvements-to-the-nipponster-japan-toolbar/ http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/01/18/improvements-to-the-nipponster-japan-toolbar/#comments Fri, 18 Jan 2008 19:00:00 +0000 toritaiyo http://nipponster.wordpress.com/2008/01/18/improvements-to-the-nipponster-japan-toolbar/ In keeping with our efforts to continually improve the Nipponster Japan Toolbar we have just added two new features! Take them for a spin and let us know your thoughts.

1, We have added a “JapanSoc It” button that allows you to submit a URL to JapanSoc (a digg.com-clone for Japan-related news).

2, We’ve added Nipponster Video Search to the search box. So now you can search the major video sites for Japan-related videos… right from your browser!

Two easy steps:

  1. click on the black arrow in the search box
  2. select “Nipponster video search” and click go

]]> http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/01/18/improvements-to-the-nipponster-japan-toolbar/feed/ The new "Hot Search Archive" is here! http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/01/16/the-new-hot-search-archive-is-here/ http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/01/16/the-new-hot-search-archive-is-here/#comments Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:51:00 +0000 toritaiyo http://nipponster.wordpress.com/2008/01/16/the-new-hot-search-archive-is-here/ Ok. Finally we have finished the new Nipponster Hot Searches! Whew…
That was a lot of work. And it still needs work.

I thought that the entries from the old hot search archive would be easy to move to the new one but alas that’s not so :(

We will have to manually re-enter them…

But no worries because having the new archive makes up for everything!

Let us know what you think of it!

]]> http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/01/16/the-new-hot-search-archive-is-here/feed/ Yes! Progress with the new hot search archives http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/01/05/yes-progress-with-the-new-hot-search-archives/ http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/01/05/yes-progress-with-the-new-hot-search-archives/#comments Sat, 05 Jan 2008 00:43:00 +0000 toritaiyo http://nipponster.wordpress.com/2008/01/05/yes-progress-with-the-new-hot-search-archives/ Like I mentioned in the previous post, we’ve been working on the hot search archives. And I’ve been messing things up :(

Fortunately I just fix a major problem on the new archive! Too bad we have not released it yet, so you cannot see my good work :(

oh, well.

The good news is that it is working as we had hoped and soon it will be released!

]]> http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/01/05/yes-progress-with-the-new-hot-search-archives/feed/ Hot search archive - no one is perfect http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/01/04/hot-search-archive-no-one-is-perfect/ http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/01/04/hot-search-archive-no-one-is-perfect/#comments Fri, 04 Jan 2008 23:52:00 +0000 toritaiyo http://nipponster.wordpress.com/2008/01/04/hot-search-archive-no-one-is-perfect/ We’ve been working on the hot search archive trying to upgrade it.

Unfortunately while I was working on it I made a mistake and now it is a little buggy.

The new version that we are hoping to release soon will automatically archive old hot searches saving us lots of time.

It will also help us update the hot searches much more frequently.

]]> http://nipponster.com/labs/2008/01/04/hot-search-archive-no-one-is-perfect/feed/