Word: techno
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...rather a microcomputer, a "Simple Inexpensive Mobile Computer." In short, a Simputer. It's the latest attempt to reach a kind of techno-humanist grail: a computer priced and designed for the billions of people who have yet to set foot in the wired wards of the Global Village. A computer, say its creators, for the masses. And if you're talking masses, there is no better place to start than India, a country of more than 1 billion people and fewer than 5 million computers...
...something high-tech occupies a little more brain space than the normal person would dedicate to, say, a metal-plated canine robot. Because Japan is the source for so much of this addictive technology, it's not surprising that these fetishists view the country as the mecca of techno-cool. Fittingly, Japan is also the birthplace of the word otaku, an almost untranslatable phrase that describes a person whose fascination with something has reached, well, loopy proportions. Below, meet five American otaku and see how even the sanest of people can be transformed by a simple machine...
...Clover Avenue Elementary School in West L.A., Nakamura knew the die-cast robots were more than mere toys. One of only a few Asian kids at his school, he morphed from shy geek to totally tubular dude when he showed up to show-and-tell with his techno-toys. "The other kids were playing with their little G.I. Joes," he recalls. "And then I appear with a robot that could shoot missiles or transform into something else. It blew them away...
...that Gibson, with his perky antenna-like tail and endearingly clunky legs, can be a chick magnet. If that doesn't impress, Calkins will sweep back his bleach-blond hair and rattle off the weekend's coolest parties in northern California. Still, Calkins isn't just content teaching his techno-pooch frat-boy tricks like kicking a ball or rolling over. He's into exploring Gibson's inner qualities: Calkins has backward-engineered his pet, methodically investigating his dog's software to see exactly what makes him sneeze or wag his tail...
...these are treasures that Skyline Cruisers delivers in spades. The initial raid to steal the cancer drug is taut and perfectly paced. Tension is present in every drama-drenched second as Mac and company infiltrate the building utilizing incredible high-tech devices. Yip manages to make all this techno-wizardry compelling rather than obtuse or obnoxious. Multi-hued shades of lighting, smooth-as-butter tracking shots, and perfectly filmed set-ups make the break-in a visual palette of wonders, easily rivaling and occasionally outdistancing any of Tom Cruise’s exploits as a member of the Impossible Mission...