I've been thinking about what comes next for Jappleng in a world of A.I. because let's be honest here, for $20/mo. you can learn an entirely new language. Keeping that in mind, I've been studying and getting certified in both cloud technologies and Machine Learning. I have been preparing myself for the future and I hope that I can make Jappleng an exciting place for those who are Japanese enthusiasts.

Likewise, I won't be able to do it on my own, in fact I will have to go above and beyond “Jappleng as a hobby” and really push to get others involved with it. I have a plan that is nearly completed but I won't unveil anything for now. I would like to hear from you guys and know what you would all want to use Jappleng for though, at least for the reason that I don't want to leave out people from doing things they currently do or would like to do here.

Project Jappleng is a unique experience and has been through many changes since its first release in January 2006. Jappleng will continue to be a volunteer effort on my part and I don't want to break away from this project. Once again, please let me know how you are all feeling and what features / sections you would love to see or keep. Thank you and I hope we can all be a part of something refreshing in the age of A.I.

Shirakami Fubuki is probably the cutest anime-style vtuber in all existence and you can't persuade me from my bias.

New EP of campfire cooking in another world is out today. If you're not watching this you need to.

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I'm making a trivia game. It won't be fancy yet but the questions and answers will be in a database so that i can keep adding more and more questions. I'm thinking that they can also have categories so in the future you will be able to pick which category you want your questions to be about.

I may omit exclusive event stuff this month and just focus on adding new content and features instead.

Later this week I'll need to change the event over. I don't have an event for March. There's the theme of hinamatsuri which i've done before but Iw onder what could be done instead or with it? I don't exactly have the time at the moment to create a bunch of new items and event things so it's going to be tough.

LOL I was talking out loud with someone and I said “yada!!! yamete kudasai!” and alexa responded. I couldn't tell what she said because she responded in the other room instead of nearby but pretty funny.

I fixed the trending forum threads thing while eating breakfast. lol Now back to my studies. 

Mooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon

So basically this is what's up…

I've been studying for a bunch of certifications because that's what you do in IT and well, I have a 3-stage interview process for this job and already cleared one, another is this week. That's why I'm really focus on getting certified. After this week's interview I will probably get one last interview which will be whenever. There's no telling. It could be in a couple of weeks, it could be in 6 months. Either way, I know that this initial step is the most intense since I have to study so much.

Afterwards, I'll be able to take it a bit more easy. Although I'll keep studying for more certifications, I will take a moment to update Jappleng etc…  Meaning I'll work Jappleng into my daily workflow (or at least every other day).

I'm not giving up on this project, I have a clear vision but this project will most undoubtly continue to be volunteer based. I will need to brand it as such as well if I do get that job because there will be a conflict of interest if this isn't purely voluntary. So no LLC, just non-profit. But because I'll actually start making money now instead of just focusing on a lot of startup stuff for various projects (jappleng included), I'll be able to put some type of capital investment into this project so that it's no longer on a stand-still. I also have plans to get the Japanese gov. involved to help fund this project so there can be actual staff etc involved.

So for some reason I have no idea where my script that updates the top forum posts (current) went. Like it was supposed to update every 15 minutes but instead it isn't and the files associated to it isn't on my computer or on the server. O.o

Sigh…. add it to the list. lol Guess i'll remake it

I want to believe this was a first attempt

https://youtube.com/shorts/eVz5kcGaniY?feature=share

BYE!

Dakimakura / Figurine Mini-Guide

If you want your own dakimakura like a true weeb, you can buy them on aliexpress for cheap. Make sure you get the tricot version for the size you want since it's the best quality. Making them yourself is expensive, maybe several thousand dollars for the machine alone. But I recommend making your own pillow cases if you can since the materials are so cheap and it's literally just a rectangle with a zipper. No sense in spending a hundred bucks for a pillow that you can make yourself for $15 in like 20 minutes. Also the quality varies greatly so you might have to re-stuff it yourself. Be warned though, you should buy from reputable vendors only. If the shop name is shop239420 then it's likely not legit or has bad quality. if the shop is like kawaiianimeshop or something like that, the quality is probably going to be good. Reviews might tell.

Figurines are different, I wouldn't buy them from there. I'd buy them more locally if possible. Figurines also often release in limited amounts and sometimes are only available in Pre-order runs. If you miss-out on the original run and they won't be making them anymore, you'll have to buy it from a reseller for at least twice the price which can easily be hundreds more. If you don't buy it from a reputable shop, you will probably buy a bootleg version for the same price of the original. Familiarize yourself with different websites for a while before ever placing orders.

For the most part, you won't find a lot of official merch, even at anime conventions. Most merch you will come across is bootleg and usually fan art taken from someone else. If you can't find the design you want for a pillow or a shirt like an obscure character that is rare to find art for, you can either comission someone to draw it or search through various imageboards for it. Then submit the artwork to whoever you want to print it for you. This means if you trust a dakimakura printer, you can find something from a -booru  website and have it custom printed.