GPS units are handy devices when traveling, you can even pick them up now for less than 200 bucks and it sure beats stuffing around with a range of paper maps. One other thing you can do with many of them is to record a tracklog and then copy that on to your PC and even import it into Google Earth to show off to your friends where you have been. If you want to know more on how to do this follow our brief tutorial after the jump. (Warning: computer tech content follows!)

Firstly you are going to need to have a GPS device that supports recording tracklogs. We use a small Chinese made Windows based device that we got from EBAY, it can run a few different types of GPS mapping software and we have found that some software like I-Go and Miomap support it while others like Route 66 and Destinator don’t.An example of enabling recording tracklogs in I-Go or Miomap is to select the gear or quick menu when you are in map or cockpit mode, now select manage tracklog and then record. Now everywhere you go as long as your GPS is turnt on a track will be recorded, kind of like dropping bread crumbs along a path. Now after you have finished your trip you can go back into the manage tracklog menu and stop recording and then view a replay of where you have been or fit your whole journey to the screen from the info menu.

Also under the info menu is the button we are going to have the most fun with, and this is the export button. When you hit export, the track you are looking at is saved onto the GPS’s memory card in a GPX format. Now its time to connect your GPS or memory card to the computer and copy the file it saved to your computer. You will need to navigate to the directory of your navigation software and find where it saved the file. What you are looking for is the file you exported most likely named track saved at date.gpx generally this will be in a tracks directory, once you find it copy it to your computer.

Now your GPX file is on your computer its time to have some fun with it, GPX is a format that GPS units use for there tracklogs so other bits of software can read them. What we are going to do is convert the GPX file to a format that Google Earth uses (known as KML), and you can do that here http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/map?form=googleearth or with this C_GPS2KML software. Once you have converted the file into a KML you can now open that file up into Google Earth and you should see a track of your journey that you exported from your GPS. (Note: sometimes you can load the GPX file directly into Google Earth without converting to KML, but we found this flakey at times)

So that’s about it, it’s pretty simple once you get the hang of it, our tutorial above is mainly referring to I-Go or Miomap, there are other GPS softwares that support exporting a GPX but we haven’t tried many of them to know what ones do it and how to do it but it should be pretty simple if you follow the manual for your device.

One last thing if you haven’t got google earth you can download it free here http://earth.google.com

The Menu images from Mio Map below

If you were an Iron Chef and wanted to deck out your kitchen stadium the best place to go for kitchen equipment would be Kappabashi in Tokyo. Kappabashi is Kitchen Town and it lies between Ueno and the electronics mecca of Asakusa. Here you can buy anything you would need to start up a kitchen from chopsticks, to uniforms to plates and saucers even those amazing plastic food models you see everywhere in Japan. There are hundreds of shops many specialising in different types of kitchen goods, for example Hashito sells chopsticks, and a shop called Tanaka sells lacquerware, and then there Kamata who sells knives. The plastic food shops are amazing, one good one is Maizuru, you can virtually find any type of food here all in resin, from noodles to steak, from sushi to eggs and even full seafood platters and buffets- the range is amazing- but they don’t come cheap some costing thousands of yen. But for the tourist there are some smaller affordable ones, and they have a good range of novelty fridge magnets and the like. The easiest way to visit Kappabashi is catch the Ginza line train and get off at Tawaramachi Station then its only a few blocks walk from exit 3. Most of the shops are open six days a week being closed on Sundays.

For more information on travelling to Japan visit www.happyjappy.com it’s a wealth of easy to understand information for the holiday maker to this facinating country.

Toyota is a city in Nagoya Japan and as the name suggests it is home to the worlds biggest automotive manufacturer Toyota. Dubbed the Motown of the Far East the city was once called Koromo. Toyota have a quiet a few museums in the greater Nagoya and are all worth a visit but the Toyota Exhibition Hall combined with a factory tour is a great day out and a chance to get up close to some cutting edge technology. One of the center’s newest exhibits are Toyota’s musical robots which were a hit at Nagoya’s World Expo. The exhibition hall is geared towards innovation and technology with many interactive exhibits featuring Hybrid engines, saftey systems and futuristic vehicles.

For more information: http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/about_toyota/facility/toyota_kaikan/ 

Donkey Kong is one of the most loved of the video games and has survived over quarter of a century. Today the game is celebrated in a huge display at Berlin’s Computer Game Museum or computerspielemuseum. The huge scaffolding covers the front of the museum’s facade complete with barrels, ladders and of course everyone’s favorite ape Donkey Kong.
The museum itself is an amazing display of everything computerized it will keep the geek in you interested for hours, there’s lots of early computers and games from simple ping pong right up to the latest state of the art computer games and gadgets of the present.

For More information:

http://www.urbanretrolifestyle.com/2007/11/03/the-giant-donkey-kong-level/

http://www.computerspielemuseum.de/
Marchlewskistr. 27� D- 10243 Berlin
Germany

ASIMO the amazing walking robot built by Honda is one of the feature exhibits at the Miraikan Emerging Science Museum in Odaiba the futuristic city in Tokyo Japan. ASIMO or the ‘Advanced Step in Innovative MObility” robot is an incredible humanoid robot which can even walk up stairs. It is hoped that with constant upgrades one day the robot will be able to take visitors on guided tours around the museum.

The museum has an amazing array of technological feats, many of them Japanese, including robotics, interactive displays featuring the Linimo Maglev 300km ph plus train, space and mining exploration and plenty of hands on interactive educational entertainment for people of all ages.

For more information

http://www.happyjappy.com/tokyo/odaiba/miraikan_emerging_science_museum.html

http://www.gizmohighway.com/robotics/asimo.htm

http://www.miraiken.jst.go.jp/

At this restaurant known as ‘s Baggers in Nurnberg Germany you wont find any waiters to take your order or to bring drinks to the table, instead you will find a touch screen computer and something that looks like a food rollercoaster that bring food directly to your table. When you get a table at this futuristic restaurant you make your order via the computer at your table, your meals is then prepared by humans (not robots) in the upstairs kitchen and sent on a ride to your table. The restaurant claims that the system cuts costs and improves efficiency making for an overall better dining experience. The food served is called Franconian Style which is an old German style of cooking the name baggers comes from a potato fritter style dish.

‘s Baggers Website

http://www.sbaggers.de/main-ger/?sid=restaurant&lang=en

In Tokyo’s electronic town Akihabara you can pick up just about every conceivable gadget and gizmo including these novel USB sushi. Unfortunately they are made of plastic so don’t taste too good but are great to store your favourite data on. There are quiet a few different varieties including tempura, hand rolls, sashimi and even dim sim and they also come in a range of sizes. They are quiet pricey expect to pay about 60,000 – 90,000 yen for them- expensive but fun.

Satellite view of Akihabara district in Tokyo