A palate-cleansing reminder from Snapped Shot that Japan is “different.” But then, longtime HA readers know all about that. Why is this going viral today, you ask, when the clip is almost two months old? That’s just how the Internet rolls, my friends. Although the fact that the LA Times profiled her — I mean “her” — yesterday might explain the timing.

Miku is a singing, digital avatar created by Crypton Future Media that customers can purchase and then program to perform any song on a computer.

Crypton uses voices recorded by actors and runs them through Yamaha Corp.’s Vocaloid software -– marketed as “a singer in a box.” The result: A synthesized songstress that sounds far better than you ever have in your shower…

A few months ago, a 3-D projection of Miku pranced around several stadium stages as part of a concert tour, where capacity crowds waved their glow sticks and sang along.

We’ve got Miley Cyrus, they’ve got this. What would be really clever is if the animators followed the traditional Hollywood career arc for teen goddesses: First comes success, then come paparazzi photos of the hologram club-hopping, then suddenly she’s in hologram jail trying to kick a coke habit. YouTube has lots more concert clips — see the sidebar here — but as you gape in wonder, understand that the hologram is but an intermediate transitional technological stage. We all know where this is headed, and we’ll get there sooner than you think.