This article summed up exactly what I have been thinking lately. I picked up Tom Clancy's Raven Shield recently since I really enjoyed the previous installment in the series. Some people get off on spending hours PREPARING for these missions, setting way points etc. I am not one of those, nor do I have the time. I really wish a game included - in very large letters - on the packaging that:
THIS GAME DOES NOT ALLOW SAVES!!
So instead you have to spend 20, 30, 40... 90 minutes working your way though the game only to have one of your guys take a bullet and make it all one big WASTE OF TIME.
The CNET article states that RFID tags will be used in Wakayama city. That is NOT Osaka. Osaka is both the name of a city and a prefecture (like a state or province). Wakayama is the name of a nearby prefecture and also its capital city.
Osaka is a city of around 3 million people. Wakayama is a city with about 300,000 people. Can't see how they could be confused.
Not saying I am doubting this story, but I haven't been able to find any information on the story in Japanese. I read the papers and watch the Japanese news every day and haven't heard anything about this either. Where does CNET and the register get its information?
The whole idea makes sense though. There have been a couple of incidents involving children recently - a 12 year old girl killed an 11 year old girl, a boy of a similar age slashed a classmate, etc. I heard about one school where the school had a list of all of the parents cell phone email addresses. If something happened at the school they parents would be mailed immediately. They ended up putting it into action a month ago. The parents were emailed that the police had reported there was a flasher (or some kind of pervert) somewhere around the school that day, and they were cancelling classes. The parents were in the loop and could come and pick the kids up immediately.
It's been a good month for email. Last Friday I logged into my Blooger account (which I haven't done for over 6 months) and discovered an invitation to join Gmail. D'Oh! - why didn't I check that back in April!
Then today I got an email from yahoo saying I was being upgraded for free - 2GB of space, no more ads etc. (YAH!)
I haven't used Gmail for all that long now, but my vote is with Yahoo. I have paid for yahoo for a couple years now because I want POP forwarding and the abiliity to DL my messages into Entourage on my own computer, instead of everything being on the 'net. I would be convienient to have messages archived on the web interface as well, but a standalone email program is still superior (and faster for going through old emails) than a web based one.
The other killer feature of Yahoo is their Spam filter. I just clued into that a couple months ago and gave it a try. VERY impressive filtering. I check the spam folder every couple of days, but in 2 months it has only mistakenly caught a very small handful of legit email. (The funny thing is that it things that the occassional email FROM Yahoo is spam!) Likewise there are only an extremely smal number of real spam that haven't been filtered out. I am sure that Google will add spam filtering before they open up the service to the world, but as it is, this feature alone puts Yahoo above Gmail even with a fraction of the space available for storage.
One thing neither company has caught onto yet is a need / desire for throw-away addresses. What savy net user gives their real address when asked to fill in all those registration forms all over the net. (Can anyone say New York Times?). I don't need 1 GB of storage for that. I don't need a fraction. What I would like is some sub-email address that I can turn on and off, and even change the address (randomly?) but view from within the same Yahoo / Gmail web interface.
I use the caps lock key in some games (run-walk), but otherwise rarely use it. Mostly it is just a key I hit by accident when aiming for the shift key or tab key. But I can live with that. What I can not live with is the set up on Apple keyboards in Japan.
On Japanese Apple computers the key in-between the tab and shift keys is (not the caps lock as everyone would expect but) the COMMAND key (Apple key), while the caps lock key is relocated down to the bottom - to the right of the shift bar (I think it is where the CTRL key usuallys is).
My ex-wife has / had an iBook and I couldn't stand the arrangement of the keys. Why of why would apple move a key (COMMAND) that is used SO often. Just in case you are wondering... other manufacturers DO NOT do this. Every other keyboard I have used or seen in Japan has the the caps lock, CTRL and Command keys in the normal places (for Windows).
I recently bought a new 15" Powerbook. But there was no way i was going to pay a heap of cash for a computer with the COMMAND key way over on the mid-left. Of course with Apple's restrictive policies it is impossible to order a computer from a seller in the US or other country. The ONLY way to get an Apple computer in Japan WITHOUT this stupid setup is to order through the Apple online store and select "US keyboard".
I spent three weeks 'trying' to buy this computer. I wanted to get a 6 month loan to pay for it, but my loan application was sent back saying I needed a guarantor. (By the way, I work at a prestigious high schools in Western Japan, which they had checked out since I got the educational discount.) There had been no mention of needing a guarantor before. I complained a bit and then decided to put down a friend - another foreigner who has lived here for 9 years, good job, good salary, lots of savings, married to a Japanese, owns a house. I was told "sorry they won't approve him if he is not Japanese". ARRGGG! I love this country other than this kind of (rare) in-your-face double standard.
I finally gave up and said I would pay with my credit card. But I don't have a Japanese one (again difficult to get a credit card if you are a foreigner). They said they couldn't accept my Canadian card (with a $6000 limit). I finally told them that Sony or Dell would be more than happy to take my money and hung up. The next day the same woman from Apple phoned me (!!) and told me that the problem was with Visa, not them. I needed to get Visa to approve the transaction. Turns out visa thought it looked suspicious and refused the purchase.
I finally got everything worked out and am now writing this on my Powerbook. I wonder if anyone else has gone to such trouble to buy a computer whether because of the stupid caps lock key, or for some other reason?
I had actually been thinking about getting a PS II recently. Then I went to a friend's house last weekend and actually PLAYED a PS II for the first time ever. (Yeah, I live under a rock. Shoot me.) A few months back we played Unreal Tournament (PC) via the internet and I ran circles around him. We fired up Unreal Tournament 2003 (PS II)... and I got absolutely slaughtered!
I know it was my first time playing a FPS with a game pad but I can't imagine actually prefering that input over a keyboard and mouse for a FPS. After that experience I am having second thoughts about getting a console, and thinking about just building a good PC gaming system instead.
Playing the Lord of the Rings game was a better experience with the game pad... but that isn't my kind of game anyway. Simpsons was another game where I didn't mind the game pad, and actually might prefer it after some practice.
But at the end of the day, I can easily get a game pad to work with a PC, if I prefer that input for some games, but AFAIK you can't use a mouse + keyboard with a console.
I agree with a poster above - it is all about what you play. With certain genres of games (FPS, RTS...) PC input is better.
I heard a similar story about audio technicians recently. A couple weeks ago I was listening to a CBC radio [cbc.ca] show (Sounds like Canada) all about a new and growing industry centered around hooking up and troubleshooting peoples increasingly complicated home media equipment.
There is a guy (in Halifax I think) who calls himself "The Sound Doctor" who makes a living from going around and setting up home theaters etc. A previous poster joked that with new ranks of Digiticians, VCR clocks around the world found finally not be flashing 12:00. But this Sound Doctor guy REALLY does that kind of thing. His business is getting TVs, VCRs, DVDs and home audio working right (for $60/hour or flat fees for some services I think). Another poster commented that if a digitician got a contract with Best Buy they would be set. Well, according to this Sound Doctor guy, he used to work for a big box store before branching out on his own. He gets some business from those stores, but increasingly the retailers are seeing customer service as another stream of revenue and doing it in house.
Some stores will offer to set up your new surround sound system for you.. for a small extra fee. (or included in the price if they are trying to be competative).
I'm not sure that this IS a growth business. I wonder if it isn't just a little niche market run by word of mouth. In the same way that high end audio stores will set up your equipment for you, and come back to tweak it (for a price) I can't imagine why Best Buy, Future shop et. al. wouldn't expand into this area. My dad always takes his Volvo into the dealer where he bought it for servicing. When my brother had a problem with his laptop he took it into Future Shop to see if they could do anything for him. I think a lot of people are like that and more inclined to call, and trust (even if that trust is unwarranted) the kinds of places where they bought the original equipment than a one-man operation like "Dr. Dave".
But, if I am wrong and this is a viable business, i think it would make sense to offer a comprehensive service - servicing computers, home networks and home audio / media equipment.
Does those cute litle letters (DoCoMo) mean anything in English?
Those cute little letters mean something in Japanese. It is derived from 'doco demo'. Doko means 'where'. Doko demo means 'anywhere'; hence referring to service you can use anywhere. The first word is used with a sylable from the second word (and of course changing the k to a c). This is a common way of creating new words in Japanese - whether it be standard Japanese words, or new slang or corporate (in this case) branding.
I have also heard of docomo being lengthened into "Do Comunications" as another poster mentioned but I am quite sure this was a marketing slogan and not the origin of the word.
I think that most otaku (the hardcore anime fans/nerds to whom the article was directed) probably surmised it
"Otaku" does not mean hard-core anime fan. This is a mis-use common amongst American / western anime fans. Otaku is a word used to refer to someone who is REALLY into something, a fanatic, someone obsessed with something.
I have lived in Japan for the last 5 years. I have met people who take pictures of trains. They are otaku. My friend jokes that I was an origami otaku when I spent a few weeks making origami during all my free time at work. My (Japanese) wife says her boss is a computer otaku. This is a lighter joking way to use otaku, but it can be applied to any kind of hobby. The word in no way carries any connotations that are exclusive to manga or anime. An 'otaku' is someone who is a little strange.
Most of the perfectly normal Japanese kids I have known who enjoy reading manga and watching anime are NOT otaku. I have heard of a guy who had finished high school and hadn't looked for a job - he stayed in his room all day with the door closed reading manga, only leaving the house to buy more manga. That WOULD be a manga otaku.
Now about this story... I am really excited to hear that Sen to Chihiro will be available in English. I recal seeing the trailers for this movie for months while in the theatre to see other movies. It looked wierd but wonderful and the author is legendary.
They have made the same mistake they did years ago by closing off most 3rd party support. Proof? Pricewatch.com check out all the PC components to Apple components same with eBay Download.com, look at the huge selection of PC Software compared to Apple software..
Ahhh, the comforting statical clarity one can achieve by checking out things on PriceWatch and eBay.:)
I think that you are a bit misleaded. "Apple components" for the most part aren't made by Apple just the same as the components inside a Dell aren't manufactured by Dell. If you want a processor upgrade you aren't going to be buying it from Apple but from a 3rd party source (Sonnet is one name I think). Yeah, replacing a processor is far more expensive in an Apple machine but I think this has most to do with economies of scale. In some machines the processor sat in a ZIF slot making it a real easy no brainer to simply pop a new processor in. Expensive, but easy. (Not so with current machines I gather, though)
What closing off of 3rd party support are you referring to? I don't think that this is relevant to the subjec at hand (Aqua). Apple did kill of the clones but that was killing them. I think that Apple is actually more open for 3rd parties these days. Most internal components are industry standards (same RAM as in a PC, using PC standard ports (USB) instead of the Apple-specific ADB port...) I think that Apple has taken steps to try to foster a good symbiotic relationship with companies that make 3rd party hardware because it helps, not hinders the platform. Copying the visual appearance of the OS onto another platform is the opposite though - it dilutes their unique offering and their marketing (very important, that).
Slashdot Mirror
THIS GAME DOES NOT ALLOW SAVES!!
So instead you have to spend 20, 30, 40 ... 90 minutes working your way though the game only to have one of your guys take a bullet and make it all one big WASTE OF TIME.
Osaka is a city of around 3 million people. Wakayama is a city with about 300,000 people. Can't see how they could be confused.
Not saying I am doubting this story, but I haven't been able to find any information on the story in Japanese. I read the papers and watch the Japanese news every day and haven't heard anything about this either. Where does CNET and the register get its information?
The whole idea makes sense though. There have been a couple of incidents involving children recently - a 12 year old girl killed an 11 year old girl, a boy of a similar age slashed a classmate, etc. I heard about one school where the school had a list of all of the parents cell phone email addresses. If something happened at the school they parents would be mailed immediately. They ended up putting it into action a month ago. The parents were emailed that the police had reported there was a flasher (or some kind of pervert) somewhere around the school that day, and they were cancelling classes. The parents were in the loop and could come and pick the kids up immediately.
Then today I got an email from yahoo saying I was being upgraded for free - 2GB of space, no more ads etc. (YAH!)
I haven't used Gmail for all that long now, but my vote is with Yahoo. I have paid for yahoo for a couple years now because I want POP forwarding and the abiliity to DL my messages into Entourage on my own computer, instead of everything being on the 'net. I would be convienient to have messages archived on the web interface as well, but a standalone email program is still superior (and faster for going through old emails) than a web based one.
The other killer feature of Yahoo is their Spam filter. I just clued into that a couple months ago and gave it a try. VERY impressive filtering. I check the spam folder every couple of days, but in 2 months it has only mistakenly caught a very small handful of legit email. (The funny thing is that it things that the occassional email FROM Yahoo is spam!) Likewise there are only an extremely smal number of real spam that haven't been filtered out. I am sure that Google will add spam filtering before they open up the service to the world, but as it is, this feature alone puts Yahoo above Gmail even with a fraction of the space available for storage.
One thing neither company has caught onto yet is a need / desire for throw-away addresses. What savy net user gives their real address when asked to fill in all those registration forms all over the net. (Can anyone say New York Times?). I don't need 1 GB of storage for that. I don't need a fraction. What I would like is some sub-email address that I can turn on and off, and even change the address (randomly?) but view from within the same Yahoo / Gmail web interface.
On Japanese Apple computers the key in-between the tab and shift keys is (not the caps lock as everyone would expect but) the COMMAND key (Apple key), while the caps lock key is relocated down to the bottom - to the right of the shift bar (I think it is where the CTRL key usuallys is).
My ex-wife has / had an iBook and I couldn't stand the arrangement of the keys. Why of why would apple move a key (COMMAND) that is used SO often. Just in case you are wondering ... other manufacturers DO NOT do this. Every other keyboard I have used or seen in Japan has the the caps lock, CTRL and Command keys in the normal places (for Windows).
I recently bought a new 15" Powerbook. But there was no way i was going to pay a heap of cash for a computer with the COMMAND key way over on the mid-left. Of course with Apple's restrictive policies it is impossible to order a computer from a seller in the US or other country. The ONLY way to get an Apple computer in Japan WITHOUT this stupid setup is to order through the Apple online store and select "US keyboard".
I spent three weeks 'trying' to buy this computer. I wanted to get a 6 month loan to pay for it, but my loan application was sent back saying I needed a guarantor. (By the way, I work at a prestigious high schools in Western Japan, which they had checked out since I got the educational discount.) There had been no mention of needing a guarantor before. I complained a bit and then decided to put down a friend - another foreigner who has lived here for 9 years, good job, good salary, lots of savings, married to a Japanese, owns a house. I was told "sorry they won't approve him if he is not Japanese". ARRGGG! I love this country other than this kind of (rare) in-your-face double standard.
I finally gave up and said I would pay with my credit card. But I don't have a Japanese one (again difficult to get a credit card if you are a foreigner). They said they couldn't accept my Canadian card (with a $6000 limit). I finally told them that Sony or Dell would be more than happy to take my money and hung up. The next day the same woman from Apple phoned me (!!) and told me that the problem was with Visa, not them. I needed to get Visa to approve the transaction. Turns out visa thought it looked suspicious and refused the purchase.
I finally got everything worked out and am now writing this on my Powerbook. I wonder if anyone else has gone to such trouble to buy a computer whether because of the stupid caps lock key, or for some other reason?
I had actually been thinking about getting a PS II recently. Then I went to a friend's house last weekend and actually PLAYED a PS II for the first time ever. (Yeah, I live under a rock. Shoot me.) A few months back we played Unreal Tournament (PC) via the internet and I ran circles around him. We fired up Unreal Tournament 2003 (PS II)... and I got absolutely slaughtered!
... but that isn't my kind of game anyway. Simpsons was another game where I didn't mind the game pad, and actually might prefer it after some practice.
I know it was my first time playing a FPS with a game pad but I can't imagine actually prefering that input over a keyboard and mouse for a FPS. After that experience I am having second thoughts about getting a console, and thinking about just building a good PC gaming system instead.
Playing the Lord of the Rings game was a better experience with the game pad
But at the end of the day, I can easily get a game pad to work with a PC, if I prefer that input for some games, but AFAIK you can't use a mouse + keyboard with a console.
I agree with a poster above - it is all about what you play. With certain genres of games (FPS, RTS...) PC input is better.
There is a guy (in Halifax I think) who calls himself "The Sound Doctor" who makes a living from going around and setting up home theaters etc. A previous poster joked that with new ranks of Digiticians, VCR clocks around the world found finally not be flashing 12:00. But this Sound Doctor guy REALLY does that kind of thing. His business is getting TVs, VCRs, DVDs and home audio working right (for $60/hour or flat fees for some services I think). Another poster commented that if a digitician got a contract with Best Buy they would be set. Well, according to this Sound Doctor guy, he used to work for a big box store before branching out on his own. He gets some business from those stores, but increasingly the retailers are seeing customer service as another stream of revenue and doing it in house.
Some stores will offer to set up your new surround sound system for you .. for a small extra fee. (or included in the price if they are trying to be competative).
I'm not sure that this IS a growth business. I wonder if it isn't just a little niche market run by word of mouth. In the same way that high end audio stores will set up your equipment for you, and come back to tweak it (for a price) I can't imagine why Best Buy, Future shop et. al. wouldn't expand into this area. My dad always takes his Volvo into the dealer where he bought it for servicing. When my brother had a problem with his laptop he took it into Future Shop to see if they could do anything for him. I think a lot of people are like that and more inclined to call, and trust (even if that trust is unwarranted) the kinds of places where they bought the original equipment than a one-man operation like "Dr. Dave".
But, if I am wrong and this is a viable business, i think it would make sense to offer a comprehensive service - servicing computers, home networks and home audio / media equipment.
-Craig
Those cute little letters mean something in Japanese. It is derived from 'doco demo'. Doko means 'where'. Doko demo means 'anywhere'; hence referring to service you can use anywhere. The first word is used with a sylable from the second word (and of course changing the k to a c). This is a common way of creating new words in Japanese - whether it be standard Japanese words, or new slang or corporate (in this case) branding.
I have also heard of docomo being lengthened into "Do Comunications" as another poster mentioned but I am quite sure this was a marketing slogan and not the origin of the word.
"Otaku" does not mean hard-core anime fan. This is a mis-use common amongst American / western anime fans. Otaku is a word used to refer to someone who is REALLY into something, a fanatic, someone obsessed with something.
I have lived in Japan for the last 5 years. I have met people who take pictures of trains. They are otaku. My friend jokes that I was an origami otaku when I spent a few weeks making origami during all my free time at work. My (Japanese) wife says her boss is a computer otaku. This is a lighter joking way to use otaku, but it can be applied to any kind of hobby. The word in no way carries any connotations that are exclusive to manga or anime. An 'otaku' is someone who is a little strange.
Most of the perfectly normal Japanese kids I have known who enjoy reading manga and watching anime are NOT otaku. I have heard of a guy who had finished high school and hadn't looked for a job - he stayed in his room all day with the door closed reading manga, only leaving the house to buy more manga. That WOULD be a manga otaku.
Now about this story... I am really excited to hear that Sen to Chihiro will be available in English. I recal seeing the trailers for this movie for months while in the theatre to see other movies. It looked wierd but wonderful and the author is legendary.
They have made the same mistake they did years ago by closing off most 3rd party support. Proof? Pricewatch.com check out all the PC components to Apple components same with eBay Download.com, look at the huge selection of PC Software compared to Apple software..
:)
Ahhh, the comforting statical clarity one can achieve by checking out things on PriceWatch and eBay.
I think that you are a bit misleaded. "Apple components" for the most part aren't made by Apple just the same as the components inside a Dell aren't manufactured by Dell. If you want a processor upgrade you aren't going to be buying it from Apple but from a 3rd party source (Sonnet is one name I think). Yeah, replacing a processor is far more expensive in an Apple machine but I think this has most to do with economies of scale. In some machines the processor sat in a ZIF slot making it a real easy no brainer to simply pop a new processor in. Expensive, but easy. (Not so with current machines I gather, though)
What closing off of 3rd party support are you referring to? I don't think that this is relevant to the subjec at hand (Aqua). Apple did kill of the clones but that was killing them. I think that Apple is actually more open for 3rd parties these days. Most internal components are industry standards (same RAM as in a PC, using PC standard ports (USB) instead of the Apple-specific ADB port...) I think that Apple has taken steps to try to foster a good symbiotic relationship with companies that make 3rd party hardware because it helps, not hinders the platform. Copying the visual appearance of the OS onto another platform is the opposite though - it dilutes their unique offering and their marketing (very important, that).
xylix