A little about myself.
I am an IT technician, participate in many projects, some HTML work, and reading a lot. I also contribute articles to IT magazines about Open Source Software as a core member of Japan Apache Users Group. I've been in computer related fields from 1978. starting in college, nuclear physics major, I had to take a class in FORTRAN and that was it, I was hooked on the machines. I started working first as an application programmar at a system development
company. Then moved on to a system integration company, and specializing in data communication, small & mid size systems. I run a small intranet at home, a router, Windows Servers, Windows Desktops and CentOS Linux . The Linux runs DNS, HTTP, FTP, SMTP, and POP3 making it nice for software testing and development.



Sunday, December 27, 2009

The 21th Mt. Takao hike

I went to the last hike from Mt. Takao to Mt. Jimba trail this year. A weatherman said it might be rain yesterday. But I didn't think it seemed to rain today. Then I went to hike, and It was no rain.

I reached the top of Mt. Takao in about one hour as usual. I was not able to see Mt. Fuji because of thick cloud.



I got Ochiai, a small village at the foot of Mt. Jimba in about one hour from the top of Mt. Jimba. I could take a bus to Fujino Station, however bus service is not more than  once a hour, and I usually walk to the station. The sky was clear at that time.


Sunday, November 22, 2009

The 19th Mt. Takao hike

I hiked to Mt. Jimba from Mt. Takao for the first time in one month. It was the 19th hiking this year. That is my favorite trail. I need 7 hours to this 25 Km hiking.

It's winter already. On hike, while I was walking I didn't think it was so cold. But at the top of mountains, there was much wind and I was very cold in spite of a thick jacket.

It was cleared up today, and I was able to see beautiful Mt. Fuji from each top very well.

Mt. Fuji from the top of Mt. Takao

Mt. Fuji from Ichodaira viewpoint

Mt. Fuji from the top of Mt. Shiroyama


Mt. Fuji from the top of Mt. Jimba

Friday, November 20, 2009

I want to go to Arizona again!

It keeps raining and cold several days and winter is finally coming.  I have been to Arizona a few years ago. It was very warm, no rain and comfortable place. I want to go to Arizona again.

I have about 70,000 mileages. I can get a free round air ticket to  North America, of course Arizona, then I can travel to there anytime. But I have a plan to go to Grand Circle in Utah to hike next summer. I possibly don't go to Arizona, but I am a moody person. I might go to the airport and get into a plane to Arizona one day.

Scottsdale, famous resort in Arizona where I stayed

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Internet Radio is fun!

Smart phone is very convenience because I can install many applications. One of my favorites application is a internet radio. I can listen to radio programs on iTune too, but on the smart phone, I can listen anywhere anytime, especially in the commuting train and sometime while working. My internet radio application is WunderRadio, originally for iPhone. That have categorized scores of radio station list. Only I can do to choice is just tap the name of the radio station. GPS function is interesting, too. That help you choice nearby station where you are now.

I like a radio station in Washington DC in US.  That station is broadcasting news 24 hours 7 days. They are talking very quick, and I have to listen carefully to understand. It is very good exercise to listen to English. I also like pops and classic rock music program.

I am really busy in the commuting train nowadays, reading books by Kindle, watching movies by portable dvd player, post twitter and listen to the internet radio on my smart phone.


Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Akutagawa Ryunosuke's in Japanese by Kindle

I didn't know you can buy Japanese books by kindle. Kindle doesn't have Japanese fonts, and Kindle seems display Japanese as images.

There are some Japanese books in Amazon Kindle store, but no so many. However almost all Akutagawa Ryunosuke's and Yosano Akiko's are there. They were very popular novel writers in Japan about one hundred years ago then their copyrights are over and the prices are very cheap.

This is the sample of Jyasjumon, the most important work of Akutagawa Ryunosuke.  You can read it clearly. When I downloaded this, I needed more time than usual. I guess the file size was a little bigger because of image file.


Monday, November 16, 2009

I built a fax server, is it too late?

I built a fax server in my home. Fax is not so important nowadays because of email. However it is very convenient to send hand writings easily without scanner machine. My fax machine was run out of ink sheet which was not cheep and trouble to go to Office Max to buy it. Then I tried to build a fax server. I need not another computer and a equipment. I have a modem, old one which I have not used for long. And my home server is windows server operating system include  a application for fax function. The only I did is installed the modem and the application.

The application is not so bad, have good functions. If the fax received, transfer it me by email automatically. And my parents can send handwriting letters to their grand kids with no trouble.


Sunday, October 25, 2009

I got an Amazon Kindle

I got an Amazon Kindle, and I immediately fell in love with the thing. It is so easy to buy and read books with a Kindle. I have spent a bunch of money on books I never would have bought it I didn’t have it.

Books–stories–will always be with us. We’ve always had stories and we always will. Whether they come on paper, or on film, or on the screen of an electronic reader doesn’t really matter.

Well, there is a different between reading a story, hearing a story, and watching a movie. I know. But I can’t see why reading a story on paper would be better than reading on the screen.

And I am a book lover from way back. I consider books to be home decorating items. My favorite series are set out, and I take such joy in seeing them on my shelf. I love the smell of books. I love the thick, creamy pages. I love the covers. I love everything about books.

And I love everything about my Kindle, too. I love that I don’t have to carry several books with me when I fly, because I’m not sure what kind of mood I’ll be in. I love that I can read it in the sun. I love that I can search the text. I love that I can bookmark passages.

I love everything about this device

Sunday, September 6, 2009

The 14th Mt. Takao hike

I climbed Mt. Takao by another route this time for a change. The  trail is called South Mt. Takao ridges. This loop is located south of Mt. Takao literally, from and to Mt. Takao station as follows. There is no high mountains and low mountains stretch and have a lot of small ups and downs. I was very tired. I started  Mt. Takao station at 6:30am and returned there at 12:00pm. That was just six hours hike.



The trail  turn to Odarumi peak on this side of  the top on Mt. Shiroyama between Mt. Takao to Mt. Jimba.


You can cross the bridge over Route 20th at Odarumi peak.

I was following the trail which have low trees of the both side. This is one of a few viewpoints. You can see beautiful Lake Tsukui and Mt. Sekiro to the south.


From Mt. Kusato, there are many ups and downs and hikers were few.

In the trail, there is no tea house where you can rest in. It's not bad. At the other hand, there is no variations because there is no high mountain. I like Mt. Jimba trail better. When I feel like to have a change, I go to the trail again.


Sunday, August 30, 2009

Sharp's NetWalker, buy or not?

Sharp's new mobile Internet device NetWalker is very magnetic for me. I have a smart phone, HT's Touch Diamond, and connect to Internet anytime anywhere. It's very convenient and I satisfied it.  But the phone is very small, and because of small, it's a little bit hard to type quickly. especially using software keyboard or stylus.

I have a net book, too. But net book is too big to carry it sometime. Smart phone is too small to type quickly sometime. Not a few people want to have the middle size of them, easier to carry than a net book and easier to type quickly than a smart phone.

I have to check this machine can connect to Internet by my smart phone. If I can, I really want to buy this. I have one problem. This machine seems like not to have bluetooth. Bluetooth is a greater device than USB to connect Internet easily because of wireless, especially for train commuters like me or almost all office worker in Japan's urban area.

Netwalker has 512MB of memory, 4GB of HDD, 802.11 b/g wireless, a USB 2.0 port, a mini USB 2.0 and the battery life up to 10-hours.The operating system using Linux and loaded with several free software like OpenOffice 3.0, Flash player, GEdit text editor, Firefox browser, Thunderbird mail, Totem video player, and many more. The price available around $478 and will be on the market next month.


Saturday, August 29, 2009

The 13th Mt. Takao hike

The same route as the last hike to Mt. Takao. I woke up at 5:00 am. and left home at 5:40.

Mt. Takao Station -> Mt. Takao -> Iccho-daira pass ->  Mt. Shiroyama -> Kobotoke pass -> Mt. Kagenobu -> Mt. Dodokoro -> Myoo pass -> Mt. Jimba -> Mt. Jimba bus stop -> Fujino Station

I walked to Fujino station from Mt. Jimba bus stop. It was seven hours hike this time and very tough. Maybe one of the hardest hiking I have ever been. I should have taken more rest.

This is Mt. Fuji. Like the middle of the summer, there is no snow cap.


I backed home at 2:00 pm. I took a quick shower and drank a can of beer. And I drank some sake with my wife after dinner, then I slept 8 hours.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Yakiniku Restaurant

I went out with my wife to eat Yakiniku last Saturday.

I like Yakiniku very much. Yakiniku is Japanese style BBQ, originally from Korea, translated as “grilled meat”. You can make Yakiniku at your backyard or kitchen like BBQ.

In Japan, In Yakiniku restaurant is very popular, too. In a yakiniku restaurant, diners order several types of prepared raw ingredients which are cooked by the diners on a grill built into the table,.

The ingredients are then dipped in sauces known as tare. Soup, kimchi, nameul, bibimbap and other dishes are often served alongside.


Saturday, August 22, 2009

A scary experience

Yesterday midnight, I have put the end of USB cable into a coffee cup by mistake.

Then the PC of another end of the cable said,

"this system recognized a new device"

It was a coffee!

I was taking  out the cable in a hurry, then the PC continued,

"You can use a new device"

I can use coffee? how do it work?

In the morning, I woke up and made a beeline for the PC to check the new device on the device manager. But that disappeared.

Was that a dream? If so, it must be a nightmare.





Thursday, August 20, 2009

My road bike was back

Bike is very popular nowadays. It's really eco-friendly, economy-friendly and very good for your health.

When I was young, I liked bike, especially road bike. I went to everywhere by bike, and commuted everyday by bike. But I was hit by car two times a year. It was not so serious, but I was sent to hospital by ambulance. Since the year, I seldom had ridden bike, then I have not ridden bike for over ten years.

For current bike popularity and my friends who like bike very much, I want to ride bike again. My bike's condition was no good because ten years no ride. I brought it to local bike shop to tune-up. I asked to change brake pad, bar-tape and saddle as well. After ten days, my road bike was back. This picture is that.

US bike manufacturer Specialized made, carbon fiber frame, down hill bar attached. Finally my treasure  revived!


I am going to ride this next weekend. Tamagawa cycling road is located my neighbor looks very convenience and safe for me.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

12th Mt. Takao hike

I went to Mt. Takao hiking area. It was 12th times this year, and for the first time in over one month. The weather was not very good. It was cloudy and stuffy. But I can't stand more.

This time I went to Mt. Jimba from Mt. Takao as follows.

Mt. Takao Station -> Mt. Takao -> Iccho-daira pass ->  Mt. Shiroyama -> Kobotoke pass -> Mt. Kagenobu -> Mt. Dodokoro -> Myoo pass -> Mt. Jimba -> Fujino Station

I started from Mt. Takao Station at 6:20 am.


Mt. Takao is very popular hiking area in Tokyo. Over one million people visit a year. You don't need special hiking goods. Many people get the top wear T-shirts, jeans, sneakers and with a  small backpack. But the trail from Mt. Takao to Mt. Jimba isn't so easy. There are a lot of ups and downs, especially Mt. Kagenobu trail is long and tough.


I reached the top of Mt. Jimba at 11:10 am. I ate three pieces of onigiri(rice ball) for lunch. Onigiri is very popular lunch dish in Japan.



I reached Fujino Station at 1:40 pm. It was 7 hours and 30 minutes. The distance is about 20 Km, 12.4 miles. It was a very good and enough distance for me.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Sorry, but I have to leave early today

 If you ever need some good solid excuses for why you need to leave work early one day, or if you're not coming in until later, or if you need to miss the whole day, I am providing you with a list of excuses that have been used at our company that seemed to have worked just fine. While some of the excuses may seem to be distasteful or just plain ridiculous, they worked just fine around here.

  • I have to pick up my son from day care as he is not well.
  • My daughter is not keeping well (high fever & diarrhea) so I won’t be able to come to the office today.
  • I tried to hang in as far as possible, I am going to leave early and take some rest. Trying to avoid a total breakdown. (Breakdown...what does this mean? He's working so hard, he might push himself too far and explode!)
  • I am not feeling well today (finally flu is caught up with me).
  • My water heater conked out and I have to get it fixed today. I am not sure how long it will take.
  • I will be attending a conference tomorrow and day after (where our CEO is speaking) along with Mr. Johnson. So won’t be in the office.
  • I am taking a day off tomorrow. I will be back in the office next week Tuesday. Happy Memorial Day weekend to you all.
  • I wont be available for rest of the day, Need to pick up my car from dealership !!!
  • Leaving early as I am having throat infection.
  • My son is not well so I will be coming a bit late today.
  • I am planning to take a day off tomorrow for personal reason.
  • Hi, I am in the midst of replacing all of my house windows, and re-installing windows xp”
  • We have a flu epidemic, So working from home today.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Grand Teton National Park

I  flying into Salt Lake City, Utah from Tokyo by way of Los Angeles, and renting a car. First I took a trip north, then east  and I got Driggs in Idaho. Driggs is very small town in Teton Valley close to  Idaho-Wyoming border . Almost all travellers stay in  Jackson in Wyoming, located in the south end of the Park. I need more 30 minutes to get there from Driggs, but Driggs is very quiet and hotel is cheaper.

Cascade Canyon and Lake Solitude
In my opinion, this is the best time I have ever had hiking. All of the hikes through Cascade Canyon (near Jenny Lake) are amazing, and the hike to Lake Solitude was really long and tough. Although the iced and snow covered lake in front of me was really beautiful and breathtaking. That was absolutely well worth the effort.


Signal Mountain
Signal Mountain Road to the top of Signal Mountain is particularly recommended. While here, head up to the summit by following a five-mile drive starting one mile south of Signal Mountain Lodge and Campground. The road winds to the top of Signal Mountain, 800 feet above the valley. Summit overlooks provide a panoramic view of the entire Teton Range, Jackson Lake, and most of Jackson Hole.


Death Canyon and Phelps Lake
The trail was initially very nice and paved, and began to rise slightly. At the top of the rise, you get a spectacular Phelps Lake below you, crystalline, and simply beautiful. Cutting through Death Canyon is a very rapid whitewater creek, coming down from the very flanks of the mountain and fed by glacier. Then the trail passes through woodland and meadows towards the upper end.



Wednesday, July 1, 2009

What is Cloud computing?

Cloud computing will redefine computer technology as we know it.

That pretty much sums up what we've heard in the news. But just what is a computing cloud, where did it come from, and how will it affect what we do?

A computing cloud is a massive network of virtualized Internet/intranet servers that can rapidly scale up and down to deliver services in real time.

The term "cloud" first caught on because it fit the description of the Internet as a cyberspace network with no clear boundaries or contours.

Cloud computing is more about the evolution of IT delivery than it is a revolutionary technology. It borrows from just about every networking model you can think of — including time-sharing, grid, utility and software as a service. The definition is still evolving; but, part of what distinguishes the cloud is its ability to grow or shrink computing resources based on workload demand, without exposing complexity to the consumer.



How clouds work for you
Cloud computing can be used in many different ways, from optimizing IT delivery within an enterprise to delivering the IT for an entire enterprise through a third party provider. In both cases, the cloud model speeds up IT delivery and reduces operation costs without requiring a company to re-engineer its infrastructure.

As a cloud consumer, your applications and data would typically reside in a public cloud on the Internet or in a private cloud on an intranet behind a firewall — rather than on a local server or personal computer.

Clouds support data types and mobile devices from every industry across the globe. Whether you're using a laptop computer or a hand-held device, you would have access to computing resources from any Internet/intranet connection anytime you want it.

Finally, you would never have to worry about how it all works. This represents the fundamental underpinning of the cloud model: complex on the inside, but simple on the outside.

More than the sum of its parts
Cloud computing is built on the heads and shoulders of many other technologies. That's why it's often confused for other things. For example, virtualization is key to cloud computing, but not all virtualized servers are cloud servers. So what distinguishes cloud computing? The answer is "more."

* More than network computing.
Computing clouds are networked computers, but the latest advances in digital and broadband high-speed connectivity have led to possibilities that simply did not exist 10 or even five years ago.

* More than just time sharing.
 In the 70s, time sharing was unaffordable even for large corporations. Today, inexpensive hardware, open standards, resource scaling, provisioning and huge advances in broadband access have helped to bring down the time sharing costs. And byte-for-byte, time sharing runs more efficiently in data clouds than on desktop machines.

* More than a grid.
In traditional grid environments, the work is assigned to the computing resource and completed by applications that must conform to the grid interface. The cloud environment is much more fluid. The underlying infrastructure can adjust quickly to change, and unlike grids, clouds excel at handling a large variety of tasks in parallel. Clouds can also run non-grid environments, such as three-tier Web architectures.

* More than a utility.
Utility computing is a delivery model for hardware and/or software IT resources. Cloud computing is a systems architecture that incorporates the entire computing stack, from software to hardware, and can dynamically grow, shrink and self-heal. While cloud computing can be metered like a utility, not all forms of utility computing can function as clouds.

* More than just software as a service (SaaS).
Cloud computing uses the Internet/intranet to provide access to technology-enabled services — a bigger picture than SaaS by itself. The cloud "picture" includes thousands of servers and storage networks as well as the software applications.

The coming together of advanced networking technologies with the proliferation of cheap mobile devices and the dramatic growth of the Internet has created the foundation for affordable, efficient computing that complements the way we work and live.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Hello isn't Moshi-moshi

When I went on travel to America, I stopped by a bank to withdraw some cash in the morning. One of bank clerks said to me "Moshi-moshi" with smile.  I was not able to understand what she said. She exactly said "Moshi-moshi", but I thought I heard was wrong. I greeted her "Hello" with smile too.

Leaving the bank, I was still asking myself "Why she said Moshi-moshi? What's that mean?" When I took a step from the bank, I finally understood. We Japanese say "Moshi moshi" first when we get a phone call and pick the receiver up. "Moshi" means "Speaking" in Japanese, then "Moshi- moshi" is "Speaking speaking". But in English, you say "Hello" first. Why doesn't a person who can speak English but can't speak Japanese think "Oh I see, Moshi-moshi means hello in Japanese".

It is very natural that a friendly bank clerk say "Moshi-moshi" to a person who looks Japanese came into the office. This must be why the bank clerk said to me "Moshi-moshi".


Sunday, May 31, 2009

Smart phone is my necessary tool

I bought a smart phone last December, and passed a half year. That is very useful tool for me more than I imagined. Most advantages are I can connect Internet anywhere, and I can use various of applications what I need.

I installed very useful these applications as follows,

Skype
Needless to explain about Skype. I mainly use it for Instant messaging. It's rare to use as telephone.

English Dictionary (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English)
This is my favorite dictionary. I have a paper edition and CD edition. I got it for mobile phone edition at once.

Google Mobile App(English edition)
I am a Google fun. I also get Japanese edition, but English edition is more functionally. You can use Google services without browser.

Twikini
I like Twitter. I can post and read messages anytime anywhere by this application.

The followings applications are pre-installed

Dictionary walker
English-Japanese and Japanese-English dictionaries. I can look up in the dictionary if I meet words I don't know.

NAVITIME
I can check the train timetable and the directions, or I can find the best way or a shortcut to the destination.

Active Sync
I can synchronize mobile phone's organizer and Google Calendar or My contact. It's really useful.

My smart phone have two Internet web browser, IE and Opera. But I don't use thme so frequently. Because it is better to use the service oriented application.


Saturday, May 23, 2009

Face masks help prevent swine flu infection?

Japanese medical authorities say that it's very important to prevent swine flu to wash your hands, rinse your mouth and wear face mask. I believe that wash your hand and rinse your mouth are effective way. But I doubt whether face mask can prevent swine flu.

It might be true that some surgical masks help stop droplets from spreading, if used correctly, flu mask are more likely to reduce flu risk, at least better than not to wear them. But honestly speaking, you can't count on those disposable masks to completely protect you against the swine flu.

Before swine flu is raging, I have been in a habit of washing  my hands with soap. It's far more important than flu mask.


 

Sunday, May 10, 2009

I climbed Mt. Takao.

I climbed Mt. Takao. It was the 6th time this year. There are multiple routes you can take. I took #6 route I like most. The trail follows a stream. Actually, sometimes the trail and the stream become one. It was a best choice in this early May because of deep, brilliant green and beautiful. I only hiked about two miles, but it took one hour and a half.


Why I Like Twitter

As Twitter grows in popularity, a number of my friends who have heard me talking about it have started asking me why I like Twitter so much. Although I enjoy chatting about the topic and am glad to do so anytime, I thought writing a post on it might be helpful.

1) As a way to interact with and meet a diverse group of people.
I am able to do this on a scale that is impossible with other services - this comes from Twitter’s one-to-many structure. This also creates the ability to have semi-public “conversations” that others can “listen” in on or participate in.

2) As a way to get the News.
It turns out that if something is interesting, people like to talk about it with their friends. Thus, I share and receive all kinds of news through Twitter in a way like never before.

3)As a means of self-expression.
One of the things I have enjoyed most about blogging over these last couple of years is that it gives me the ability to express what is on my mind and share it with others. Twitter does the same but on a more real-time basis. As a result, I find myself opening up to an “audience” of friends about the way that I see the world.

If you are new to Twitter, I suggest giving it a go for a month or so. Like most communities, you reap what you sow, so try to participate in whatever way feels right. There is no one “right” way to use the service. Hopefully my thoughts on it are helpful, and please let me know if you ever want to chat about it more extensively.

Twikini – My favorite Twitter app for Windows Mobile


Friday, May 8, 2009

Do you want to buy Kindle DX?

Amazon announced Kindle DX, ebook reading device, to ship this summer. The price is $489, it isn't cheap. But you can download ebooks from Kindle store by high speed wireless network for cell phone without extra fee. It isn't expensive. In Japan, you can not PC-less download, but you can download it to your PC over Internet and transfer to Kindle by USB cable.

For avid readers, Kindle DX is very convenient device. In my case, my reading time is commuting time and I don't want to carry some books in my bag.

Some readers don't want to read books by electric device like Kindle. I understand it is their pleasure they sometime glance at their bookshelves, and come across a book they want to read again.  But the number of books is increasing day by day. Few people have enough room to stock them all. And Kindle's ebook cheaper than paper's.

Unfortunately, you can not buy Kindle from Japan. Amazon doesn't ship it to Japan. You may buy it when you travel to U.S. or there might be some way to get it. Another problem is you can not buy ebooks without mailing address in U.S. and U.S. credit card or check card.

I am considering if I ask my friend who live in U.S. to have bank account and check card for me.



Thursday, May 7, 2009

Slumdog Millionaire

I went to "Slumdog Millionaire" with my wife yesterday. I can honestly say that I think it was one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. This movie has a fantastic plot, excellent acting, action, romance… in short, it’s an instant classic.

We went to a movie together for the first time in a year. Everybody see movie by himself, but it's very fun to talk about it togther. Then I go to a movies with my wife in the morning because I like to go to lunch after it done. We enjoyed to talk about our first Indian movie for a while.

I and my wife have not seen Japanese movies for a long time because they are no good from our experiences. They say they are not so bad recently. But we don't want to go because of Japanese movie world fault, not us.

Anyway, I think everyone should see this movie!


Sunday, April 26, 2009

How Google's Japanese Vice President master English

I love reading. I often go to bookstore next to the station. There is foreign language corner, and you can see a lot of books about foreign language, especially English-how-to books. I have never bought that kind of books. But I found interesting one. That was "Mr. Murakami's simple way to master English" and subtitle was "How Goole's Japanese vice president master English". I was interested in the subtitle. I like Google very much, in addition to search engine, gmail, calendar, docs and so on.

Mr. Murakami was a president of Google Japan and a vice president of Google headquarters.  He said that he had not be able to speak English and he started study English when he was thirty, moved on American computer company. It's the first time for last ten years I bought this kind of book, How-to-English book.

He said first in his book, you'd better to read English books without dictionary and aim to read one million words. I really think so, and I did it already.

Second, he said about vocabulary building. His way is just glance words. He recommend some vocabulary books which has over ten thousand English word list for leaners. You'd  better to glance all of them everyday. Upps, It's sound very tough. You need over a couple of hours a day. But he said he had done it.

The most interesting of his ways is how to deal with when you meet a word you don't know. He said almost all difficult English word is adjective or adverb. You can understand English sentences if you know noun and verb well without adjective or adverb. And adjective and adverb have only two type, good or bad.  If you meet unknown word, and it is adjective or adverb, you can change the word good or bad in your mind.

For example, you read "He was tall and languid, with longish blond hair, a deep tan, pale blue eyes, and a diamond in his left ear."
There is no difficult word but "languid". According to a dictionary, languid is "lazy and involving very little activity". You can change this to "bad".
"He was tall and bad, with longish blond hair, a deep tan, pale blue eyes, and a diamond in his left ear." It' no problem for you to follow the sentence. How do you think so?


Sunday, April 12, 2009

What is Englic?

They say that over 80% of information in Internet are written in English. English is a common language in Internet world. But someone argue that a real common language is Englic, not English. They say Englic means English-like language or English-based language.

As you know, there are many different English all over the world. Australian speaks Australian English. Philippino speaks Philippino English. Indian speaks Indian English. Why isn't there Japanese English?

My Taiwan friend speaks English very
fluently. He can debate anything in English with native English speakers. But Taiwanese has no distinction between he and she, then he sometime call his wife he though he isn't a gay.

Yes, English is standard language in the world today. It’s true. But this doesn't mean that  American English is correct and others aren't correct. If you claim to Osaka people that Tokyo dialect is correct Japanese and  you have to speak Japanese with Tokyo accent, not Osaka accent, Osaka people will be mad.

English is the same. American people must accept there are verity English all over the world and American  English is main but one of them.


Sunday, March 22, 2009

Mt. Takao, lovey place in Tokyo

I went to Mt. Takao yesterday. Mt. Takao is located in the City of Hachioji in Tokyo, 599m high and very popular hiking area, more than 2.5 million visitors a year.

I left my home after breakfast. I put a water bottle, chocolates, towels and a camera in my backpack. I also had a map. I rode on a train to get Mt. Takao Station. I took just 15 minutes. And I got start the trail.

Mt. Takao has 7 trails, the 1st to 6th and Inariyama trail. You can choose
from 3 of them to get the top. The 1st trail is the most crowded because it is the
easiest. The 6th trail go along a narrow mountain stream. Inariyama
trail goes on the ridge.

This time, I went on the 6th trail.  That was very narrow and tough as this picture.



They say you take one and half hour to get the top, but I walked quicker than others. So I got there only one hour. I took a rest, drank some water and ate some pieces of chocolate. From the top, you can see beautiful scenery, especially Mt. Fuji is extremely lovely and breath-taking. If the sky is clear enough, you can also see the city center of Tokyo far away to the east.


I went on the 1st trail on my way home. This trail was wide and easy to walk as you can see in  this picture.
Mt. Takao is one of the most lovely places in Tokyo. You can see beautiful views, easy to get there and take a good exercise. I want to go there at least once a month this year.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Speed reading for IT tech

I read Sydney Sheldon’s biography who is a famous best seller writer in America. When he was young, he was a digest writer for movie producer. The movie producers in Hollywood have to read a ton of books, novels and scripts of plays and others. But they are too busy to read them all. Then they hire digest writers to make them read easier. For example, digest writer sum up 500 pages novel in 5 pages.

This seems very important for IT tech. IT field is changing very quickly, and many new products and solutions are developed, announced and published almost every month. But we have no time to study or find out all of them. If you tried to do so, you couldn't have time with your family, increased stress, finally you could burn out.

You usually need general information, not detail information. The important thing is you learn them quickly. That mean you must have “speed reading” because you can not hire digest writer. And almost all new technologies are published in English at first, so you'd better read them in English.

In my case, I attend an IT conferences in America once a year. I usually buy a book I am interested in at a book corner there, and I try to read it all on the flight to Japan without dictionary. I pick up words very quick rather than read them. This is my way of speed reading.

I hear American college has a speed reading class. I believe Japan need it too.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

God Doesn’t Think He’s Larry Ellison

San Francisco and San Jose are main cities in San Francisco Bay Area. You can take about one hour to get to one from another. Usually you ride on the busy and crowded freeway 101 to connect the both cities along the side of San Francisco Bay. There is another free way 208, a little bit more time you take, along the side of Pacific Ocean, is not so crowded.

I have visited a small city named Wood Side located in the middle between both cities at free way 208. Wood Side is knows as one of the most exclusive residential districts in California. Wood Side is very close to Silicon Valley, so many rich executives in high-tech companies live in there. Larry Ellison, CEO and founder of Oracle which is the worldwide biggest database Company, is one of them.

Larry Ellison is one of the most famous persons in Silicon Valley. They say that he is one of the richest men in the world, despot, arrogant, genius and cruel man. Probably all true. He tried to buy NFL and NBA teams, took part in Americans Cup the biggest yacht race in the world. He is, and then, as known out speaker and hates Bill Gate.

Bill Gate was born in a rich family in Seattle, Washington. But Larry Ellison was born in East Side of Manhattan, New York. His mother was unmarried and 19 yeas old. His father was a young punk of the neighbor. He was adopted into his aunt family lived in Chicago soon. Larry Ellison is now 62 years old but he have met his mother just one time and never met his father.

Bill Gate likes popular casual bland goods and clothes, loves his wife very much, as you know donate huge money. Larry Ellison love to wear expensive clothes, built up his body, divorced three times. He sued city of San Jose, that is why he landed his private jet on San Jose Airport at midnight without permission and San Jose tried to stop to do that. He really hates Bill Gate because they were in the opposite circumstance when they were young but they both began their business after dropped off university and became very rich.

There is a book about Larry Ellison. The Japanese title is `Charisma` and the original title is `The Difference between God and Larry Ellison: God Doesn’t Think He’s Larry Ellison`. This means Larry Ellison think he is God. To begin with his companies name Oracle means `message from God` in Greek.

He said;
“I can buy and do everything. I can have a shit on carpet wherever and pay a guy to clean that.”
“I am very excited that someone insists my idea is bad, because that mean my idea is good. They oppose my idea loudly strongly that have me very happy.”
“I can fire, change and hire employees anytime. Whoever whenever they quit, there is no trouble with my great company Oracle.

Many people hate like Larry Ellison guy. But it is exactly true that Oracles stock holder love him because Oracle’s stock price has been increased 26,000 percents since 1990.



Wood Side, California

Saturday, February 28, 2009

49ers and American history

American football isn’t very popular in Japan, but American people really loved it. Only 16 matches every team play and the tickets are sold out at instance. In California, San Francisco 49ers is very popular and have a lot of fans.

49 means 1849. What is the origin of the name? 1849 was the year a gold mine was found near Sacramento, the current state capital city, and begun Gold Rush. After the year, the population of California increased rapidly, and developed day by day.

Only one year before 1849, the Mexican war was ended with America’s victory. Mexico gave California, Texas, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Wyoming to America and lose one third of the territory at that time. Next year, the big gold mine was found. I believe Mexico was really disappointed. In addition to, many limitless oil wells were found in Texas after years. America took two things because of  the victory of Mexican war to have a current super power.

Do you think The Mexican War was a kind of invation war? Mexican believe the war was America’s invade. Of course American people don’t think so. American history books say that America had rights to have and governed these territories because Mexico just only had and did nothing in there; we American people developed them and brought into European culture, civilization and religion.

How do you think about it?

Thursday, February 26, 2009

How to attend MIT's lectures from commuting train.

It take almost two hours to get to my office, it's a long, long time. So, I have a portable DVD player with me everyday, and watch movies when commuting. I love "24", " Lost" or other American TV dramas. But I have to have many DVDs to watch. I don't have enough money to rent so much.

In America, MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, UCB, University of California Berkeley, and other universities provide videos which recorded their extension lectures on their websites or YouTube. You can watch, attend and download these videos anytime from anywhere without any costs.

I download these videos and burn them into DVD medias. They are about Computer Sciences, Biology, Civil Engineering, History, Law, Agriculture, Foreign Languages, and many more.

Honestly speaking, it's not so easy to understand. I can't understand them all. They are for native English speaker, and have no subtitle and no scripts. On the other hand, they spoke relatively clear and easier to listen than dirty detective movies. And I can watch or listen again and again if I can't follow them.

It's unbelievable and fantastic! I can attend MIT's lectures , everyone knows and hope to go. In addition to all free and from commuting train!