Japan? Nutshell!

January 11, 2007 5:00 AM

Professor Solomon's Japan in a NutshellBy the lost-object-finding author of The Book Of King Solomon, How to Make the Most Of A Flying Saucer Experience, and Coney Island. Share and enjoy!
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken (16 comments total)

You can download the whole (Japan) book, free, as a PDF here.
posted by kcds at 5:37 AM on January 11, 2007

Yes, as should be relatively clear from the ENORMOUS FLASHING DOWNLOAD HERE balloon at the top of the page I linked. You have been of great assistance to me, and I pay you the deep respect you so richly deserve [NOT RACIST].
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:47 AM on January 11, 2007 [1 favorite]

Is that what tipped me off? Damn, I thought I was becoming a wonder-sleuth. You have disillusioned, me, sir.

Now that I have downloaded it (through my incredible powers of download-fu, or, as I call it "following the huge flashing sign"), and have read a few pages I have to ask - what do you like about the book?
posted by kcds at 5:50 AM on January 11, 2007

Absolutely fucking nothing. Share and enjoy!
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:53 AM on January 11, 2007

Or share and don't enjoy. Seriously, what was the point of your FPP? Put another way, what do you find notable about this guy, or his work?
posted by kcds at 5:56 AM on January 11, 2007

Well this is awkward.
posted by lemonfridge at 6:07 AM on January 11, 2007

I, for one, will be neither sharing nor enjoying.
posted by jimbaud at 6:11 AM on January 11, 2007

Agreed lemonfridge. Seems like Metafilter woke up good and cranky.

As far as the post, if it's a joke I don't get it. If it's not a joke, I don't care.

Seems like a book about Japan. I didn't know we were hurting for information on it.

Do you guys know that Lily Munster is dead?
posted by SinisterPurpose at 6:13 AM on January 11, 2007

stavrosthewonderchicken, despite kcds having linked the bleeding obvious, I too was hoping you might provide a bit more explanation as to why you consider this a good thing. I would seriously like to know and it would no doubt help others make up their minds as to whether they want to go ahead and d/l 25Mb.
posted by peacay at 6:19 AM on January 11, 2007

.. Am I the only one who bothered to read these crazy links before getting angry that the full version is available but not in FPP.. I would have to guess the attraction is nuggets such as:

"THE BOOK OF KING SOLOMON—fact or fiction? An ancient chronicle or a latter-day fabrication?"

"I know you’re eager to find that lost item. But not yet. Don’t look for it yet. Wait until you have some idea where to look."
posted by shownomercy at 7:17 AM on January 11, 2007

People do get huffy.

I downloaded it. It looks pretty good (after five or ten minutes or so, at least) as a light introduction to Japanese culture for foreign visitors.

On Zen, for example:

What is Zen? The question can be a dangerous one, as
novice monks in Zen monasteries can attest. Putting it to
their Master, many have been answered with a slap, kick,
or bop on the head. The luckier ones were answered nonsensically,
told to go chop wood, or called “Blockhead!”
Those who persevered have spent years trying to comprehend
the nature of Zen—sometimes succeeding, sometimes
not. What they have never succeeded in doing, however,
has been to get a straight answer from their Master.
“What is the fundamental teaching of the Buddha?”
asked one monk. “There’s enough breeze in this fan to keep
me cool,” replied his Master. [...]

That is a pretty good way to introduce Zen to a casual reader who might not otherwise be interested in Zen. And of course it doesn't stop there; it does attempt to describe, briefly, what Zen is about. If you're interested, you'll read more about it elsewhere. If not, you'll be mildly entertained while being told enough to keep you out of trouble.

And there's a link to a history of Coney Island that I've just downloaded. Another big file -- I'm sure to be fired -- but it looks interesting.

It beats discussing the death of the guy who circumcised Scooby fucking Doo.

Share and enjoy!
posted by pracowity at 7:18 AM on January 11, 2007

I'd like to download a book on the circumcision of Scooby Doo.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 8:41 AM on January 11, 2007

And this is a good post, I'll add.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 8:42 AM on January 11, 2007

The "lost-object-finding" link is worth the price of admission - at least for those of us who lose things on a daily basis.
Thanks Stavros
posted by speug at 8:54 AM on January 11, 2007

i liked it!
posted by vronsky at 3:05 PM on January 11, 2007

Scooby Doo was circumcised? Gross, I didn't even know dogs had foreskins! Is that why he can talk?
posted by mongonikol at 7:08 PM on January 15, 2007