Fashion is worth discussing, whether you think it’s relevant to your life or not. While I would certainly never claim to be a fashionisto, nor would I ever appear to be part of Holt Renfrew‘s target audience, I do have an interest in fashion – and style – that I fully embrace. The anti-fashion movement has been around for far too long — why so much hate?

Can Apple challenge the mobile carriers the way Google failed to? When Google came out with my beloved Nexus One phone (which I live and die by), their plan was always to provide a contract-free mobile phone that can be easily purchased directly from Google themselves. The model didn’t work because it obviously didn’t have the backing of the carriers and Google was forced to push the price of the unlocked Nexus One considerably higher than most people would pay for a phone. So will/can Apple do what Google couldn’t, and succeed in selling an unlocked phone? I think so.

Sweden has got the coolest subway system in the world. Subways and subway stations are normally thought of as dark, cold, uninviting, and generally Bat-Cave-like – but not so in Sweden, home of well-designed everything. For real.

Kansai region of Japan overtakes Tokyo and Paris as the food capital of the world. Not much of a surprise to anybody who has actually been to Osaka, Kyoto, or Kobe – though chefs in Tokyo and Paris are apparently fuming at the thought of unequally-cultured 関西人 being held in higher prestige than them. Still, one of the first things I learned when I first moved to Japan was that people in Tokyo go broke from shopping so much, while people in Osaka go broke from eating so much. Makes sense to me.

There’s a shift in priorities, as a new study finds young people want to live iPhone-connected, apartment-dwelling lives. A study done by GWL Realty Advisors finds that, rather than owning houses, young people would rather rent apartments, and instead of driving cars, young people get more sense of freedom from their mobile devices. Interesting and promising stats, if taken from a sustainability perspective. Though, really, a part of me wonders if these findings are just from a result of young people’s increased lack of commitment in all aspects of their lives?

Great, great, great interview with M.I.A. from CBC Radio’s Q from a few months ago. As crazy and attention-seeking as she might seem at times, I still think she’s a genius.

Parisian “photograffeur” JR receives the 2011 TED Prize, for exemplifying innovation and creativity through his public (re: street) art. TED – which stands for technology, education, and design – has given this award to Bill Clinton and U2′s Bono in the past. I don’t know about you, but compared to past recipients of the award, JR’s work seems more personal and thought-provoking to the common person – from middle class salarymen to the world’s most destitute living in African slums. Very good choice.

The New York Times paints a rather bleak picture of Japan’s economy and its “disheartened” people. Some gems from the article include a 60+ year old woman in Osaka who complains that people aren’t shopping at her store any more, to lambasting Japanese youth’s newfound frugality and less extravagant lifestyle. Uh, really?

The Atlantic, however, doesn’t quite agree with the NY Times’ assessment of “Poor Little (Rich) Japan”. Sure, Japan today is not the same as the Japan of the late 80′s — but that is not necessarily a bad thing. That, and NYT’s article is apparently misleading as it is factually incorrect.

And one more rebuttal to the New York Times’ article of the doomed Japanese economy. This one is actually my favourite out of the lot – and there has been a lot written in response to the original NYT article – because it comes from a normal person’s perspective (as opposed to an economist’s). Mr. Keferl really sums it up quite nicely: “Rather than bemoaning the newfound frugality of Japanese youth, we should be celebrating it. Savings are a GOOD thing, just as having a currency that’s worth something is ultimately beneficial to an economy.”

But enough of the serious talk: Capcom teams up with Level-5 Studios to make Professor Layton vs Ace Attorney. Seriously, this is like two super awesome worlds colliding. This is perhaps the best and only reason anyone needs to buy a Nintendo 3DS — even if said people just bought a DSi XL just a few months ago.

Functional and practical public art helps foster community-building as well. Designed by Patrick Hubmann for Vienna Design Week (Editor’s note: why don’t we have a Design Week in Vancouver?), a multifunctional 30m long wooden bench was set up at Palffygasse in the Hernals district of Vienna. What’s different about this bench is that there was a public tools section so that literally anybody could come and interact and contribute to the art piece. I love this idea.

Malaysians, averaging 233 social connections, have the most online friends, while Japanese have the fewest, at just 29 online friends. What does this mean? I don’t really know. But I’m of the opinion that it’s not quantity but quality that matters most.

CNN thinks Shibuya is kind of like Japan’s very own Jersey Shore. And I kind of agree. Like, seriously – have you seen the ridiculous hairstyles and horrible tans on those ギャル and センターガイ? Snooki and The Situation both have a lot to learn if they even want to play in the same game…

…But then again, maybe the Jersey Shore cast don’t have to sweat just yet, as there are signs that the big-haired party is slowing down. It makes sense, I guess; it wasn’t sustainable for hordes of uneducated, mostly unemployed (or mostly unemployable), big-haired young people to continue their 109 and 109-2 shopping sprees like there was no tomorrow.

Microsoft, a little late, finally decides to scrap all remnants of Windows Mobile so they can really compete against Apple, RIM, and Google. Or at least I think so? I don’t know quite yet since the advertisement is cute and funny, but it’s hard to tell exactly what Windows Phone 7 is and – more importantly – it fails to tell me why I should get one.