Dutch designers MVRDV are being called “Al Qaeda lovers” for mocking 9/11 with what that looks like a freeze frame of the Twin Towers exploding. Dubbed “The Could,” the towers are connected halfway up by a 10-floor-tall pixelated cloud that houses common areas such as gardens, fitness center, pool, and shops.

MVRDV initially feigned ignorance to any similarities between the buildings. “It was not our intention to create an image resembling the attacks nor did we see the resemblance during the design process,” MVRDV wrote on their website. “We sincerely apologize to anyone whose feelings we have hurt, it was not our intention.”

The company line was later contradicted by designer Jan Knikker in an interview with Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad. “I have to admit that we also thought of the 9/11 attacks,” Knikker conceded. “But the intention wasn’t to draw an association with the attacks.”

The connection isn’t just superficial though. The Cloud towers are part of a larger project called the Yongsan Dream Hub, which is being designed by Daniel Libeskind. The same designer whose plans for rebuilding the World Trade Center were rejected.

Despite the controversy, there are no plans to redesign the Cloud towers, which will be completed in Seoul by 2015. In fact, MVRDV freely admits that it likes to stir up controversy. In 2008, the firm designed bent houses for the victims of Hurricane Katerina. MVRDV head Winy Maas told Metropolis Magazine, “Provocation is good, because it pushes people. We need architectural Michael Moores.”

Perpetual 9/11 is a post from: L7 World

Nothing quite sets the season like Christmas cards of Santa, or as he’s known in Japan “American Christmas Devil.” Brad McGinty received this unique card from his grandfather. “These aren’t personal Christmas cards, but rather leftover cards from my grandfather’s failed attempt at starting a greeting card company a few years after WWII,” claims McGinty.

A few years after my Grandfather returned from the war he decided to start a greeting card company. Armed with one terrible idea and no artistic ability whatsoever, he turned to someone he had met during the war for help, a young Japanese solider he had shot in the face named Haruo. My grandfather spoke no Japanese, and Haruo spoke no English, so how they actually got together is beyond me or anyone else in my family. The idea involved creating American-style greeting cards for both the Japanese and the American markets. It also required Haruo to create all the artwork and handle all of the printing. My grandfather would simply mail Haruo photos of what he wanted, and Haruo would see to the rest.

The dubious story isn’t the only clue that someone’s been naughty. Not only does McGinty bear an uncanny resemblance to his grandfather so does his portfolio, which includes a very similar Japanese illustration of Alien anatomy. But just because it’s all an elaborate hoax, doesn’t make the cards any less cool. And while the story behind them may be fake, the cards themselves are very real. They can be ordered for about $1 each @ Paper Pusher

“Vintage” Japanese Christmas Card is a post from: L7 World

As part of its effort to become a world leader in robotics, South Korea will start using robot prison guards next spring. Unlike the deceptively cute Jailbot featured in Superjail!, these R2-D2s with smiley faces are genuinely benign.

Creator Lee Baik-Chul programmed the robots to monitor inmates for abnormal behavior. “But the robots are not Terminators. Their job is not cracking down on violent prisoners. They are helpers. When an inmate is in a life-threatening situation or seriously ill, he or she can reach out for help quickly,” explains Baik-Chul.

The 3 prototypes cost $863,000 so don’t expect robot guards to replace their human counterparts, at least not until they become self-aware.

Real-Life Jailbot is a post from: L7 World

Aimi Eguchi seemed to come out of nowhere. The 16-year-old went from “trainee” in the Japanese idol group AKB48 to spokesmodel for Glico candy.

Too good to be true.

Aimi is actually a computer-generated composite of 6 of the group’s most attractive members. Glico released a video showing the face tracking software used to create Aimi, along with an online idol maker but the results are on par with that of a face flip book from your childhood, more kawai than kawaii.

False Idol is a post from: L7 World

In China, chain gangs are going high-tech. Liu Dali alleges that he and 300 other prisoners at Jixi labor camp in Heilongjiang province were forced to play online games in 12-hour shifts. They collected virtual money to trade with other players for real money, an illegal practice known as gold farming.

The Prison reportedly made upwards of $900 a day, which was not shared with the prisoners, but when they missed their quota the prisoners would be physically punished. “They would make me stand with my hands raised in the air and after I returned to my dormitory they would beat me with plastic pipes,” Dali told the Guardian.

Virtual Chain Gang is a post from: L7 World

That a single person can change history is a very dangerous idea so it’s not surprising that China is anti-time travel.

The General Bureau of Radio, Film and Television is banning all time travel stories, calling them “disrespectful to history.”

Chinahush.com translated the original story: “The time-travel drama is becoming a hot theme for TV and films. But its content and the exaggerated performance style are questionable. Many stories are totally made-up and are made to strain for an effect of novelty. The producers and writers are treating the serious history in a frivolous way, which should by no means be encouraged anymore.”

China Outlaws Time Travel is a post from: L7 World

Doctors from around China gathered at Jinan Chest Hospital to treat 53-year-old Guo Qingpo, who was suffering from a severe case of gynecomastia, more commonly known as man boobs, or moobs.

“I had never seen anything like it in 40 years. There has never been such a case in China, or anywhere in the world,” asserts Director Dr. Zhang Jianhua.

It took two teams working side-by-side on each breast over six hours to surgically remove the excess fat, which weighed a total of 11 lbs.

Like many men Guo Qingpo was in denial and initially avoided treatment.

“About ten years ago, I first noticed my breasts were larger than other men’s but I just thought I was putting on weight and didn’t pay much attention,” said Qingpo. “Then about two years ago they began to grow outrageously until they were as big as footballs. People would stare at me wherever I went.

I imagine the realization that he had moobs went something like this:

These Ain’t Your Daddy’s Man Boobs is a post from: L7 World

Not all cameras add 10 pounds.

Designed to looked like actual X-rays these bare bones calendars are actually a brilliant marketing campaign by EIZO, a Japanese company that manufactures medical displays for the examination and diagnosis of radiographs (i.e., X-rays). EIZO says their intention is to break the taboo that pin-up calendars are only for craftsmen.

If the models seem similar, it’s because they were pieced together from individual bone X-rays since receiving full-body X-rays would deliver a deadly dose to any would-be model.

The calendars are only being distributed to medical professionals but due to popular demand, the company is considering making the calendar available to the general public in 2011. Until then enjoy some scans.

JAN - DEC (Left to Right) Click for Full-sized image

X-ray Pin-up Calendar is a post from: L7 World

Kristen Dunst got all dolled up last summer to sing a cover of “Turning Japanese” by The Vapors. The film titled “Akihabara Majokko Princess” was part of the “Pop Life: Art in a Material World” exhibit at London’s Tate Modern museum. Co-creator Takashi Murakami explains “I believe that real art is centered in entertainment and I wanted to show that with this piece.”

I may not know much about art but I know what’s NOT entertaining. There’s no direction just random shots of Akihabara that come off as a tourist video, not entertainment and certainly not art. On the other hand, if fappability equates to art then Kirsten Dunst is the Mona Lisa.

Kirsten Dunst Turning Japanese is a post from: L7 World

Instead of worrying about whether Barack “Hussein” Obama was a secret Muslim, maybe we should have been worrying whether he was a secret blasian (black Asian).

President Obama’s kowtowing goes way beyond blatantly bowing down to the Prime Minister of Japan. Japan & China are already the two largest creditors of U.S. debt but now we’re just throwing money at them.

More than half of the $3 billion that we borrowed from them to finance the Car Allowance Rebate System (Cash for Clunkers) was used to buy their cars! But according to J.D. Power, normally 63% of the cars bought in America are made in America. In other words, Cash for Clunkers was actually a disincentive to buy American.

The Recovery Act didn’t fare any better.  There was a net job loss in the manufacturing for renewable energy last year, despite $2 billion in grants. It didn’t help that 80% of the money went to foreign companies, including $91 million to Eurus Energy America, a subsidiary of a Japanese-owned firm, and $178 million to Babcock & Brown, which used wind turbines manufactured in Japan.

This year China plans to join in the windfall by building a $1.5 billion wind farm in Texas. A-Power will receive $450 million in grants and create approximately 2,000 manufacturing jobs in China! Locally it will create only 300 temporary jobs and just 30 permanent jobs, which works out to about $1.4 million per job.

Nevertheless, Matt Rogers, senior adviser for the Recovery Act, defends building the turbines overseas, “those historically haven’t had buy American provisions and they don’t under the Recovery act either.”

Apparently Obama’s idea of energy independence is wind turbines with made in China labels.

Barack Obama – First Asian President is a post from: L7 World