When you return ballots in Washington State, you put the ballot in a secrecy envelope, and then put that envelope in a return envelope which you sign. The state checks your signature when it receives your envelope. "If you fail to sign the ballot declaration, or the signature on the ballot declaration does not match the signature in your voter registration record, your county elections department will contact you. If you are unable to sign the declaration, make a mark in front of two witnesses and have them sign in the designated spaces." from https://wei.sos.wa.gov/agency/...
If your signature is OK, the secrecy envelope is put in the stack of ballots to be opened and counted. No one who handles the stack of ballots to be counted has any idea whose they are.
There are also bar codes on the envelopes so making duplicate copies and mailing them in won't work either. Washington State has been voting by mail for many years, and it works very well. You get your ballot in your mail, can take your time to fill it in at your leisure, and either mail it back or drop it off at a collection box through election day. You don't have to worry about taking time off from work, standing in line, or any of that. The biggest plus is that since there are no polling stations, there are no exit polls. The media has to wait until the results come in before they can say how a vote is going down. They can't say, 20% of this group is voting this way and 40% of that group is voting that way.
The problem with bt GMO corn is that the pesticide is present in the corn field 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Prudent use of a pesticide dictates that you use the pesticide as infrequently and as sparingly as possible. If you use it all the time, the insects you are trying to control will develop a resistance to it. But with a GMO plant which is producing the toxin continuously, you are providing the perfect environment for the insect to develop a resistance to it. Sadly, bt toxin is a pesticide that many organic farmers depend on. Since bt toxin is a naturally occurring toxin, it is allowed in organic farming. But, due to GMO crops like bt corn, organic farmers are going to lose a useful, natural pesticide as insects develop resistance to it because they are exposed to it all the time. But companies like Monsato will never be held liable for selling a product that is causing immense harm to organic farmers.
I drive much less than I used to. Back in the summer of 2010 I decided to ditch the car for daily use and switched to bicycling. I lost 60 pounds in 6 months and have never felt better. I now bicycle 3,000 to 4,000 miles a year. I live out in the country and have found bicycling to be practical. It is 4 miles to the Post Office. 6 miles to the barber. 8 miles to the bank. 9 miles west to a meat store in the country. 10 miles south to a supermarket. I've got a good rack and saddle bags on my bike and can easily haul 70 pounds of groceries. It seems ridiculous now to use a 1 to 2 ton piece of machinery to go a few miles.
My basic guidance is that if I'm going 5 miles one way or less, I'll bicycle. If I'm going 5 to 10 miles one way, it is a toss up depending on what I'm doing. And if I'm going more than 10 miles one way, than I'll probably drive. I don't even use the car every week. If I lived in town, I'd consider not even owning a car. amanandhishoe.com
JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) has been working on such a system from a number of years and plans to have 1-gigawatt space solar power system operating around 2030.
http://www.jaxa.jp/article/interview/vol53/index_e.html
You don't have to use Safari to browse the web on the iPad. iCab Mobile is a browser you can get for the iPad from Apple's App store and it has tabbed browsing. There are other browsers for the iPad that support tabbed browsing too. I don't know why Safari for the iPad doesn't.
Charging stations in Japan will be very common. Some of the convenience store chains such as Lawson which has over 9,500 stores in Japan, are planning on having charging stations at their stores which have parking lots. So are supermarkets. The charging stations won't be limited to current gasoline stations. Eventually many places where you park will have charging facilities so there will be little waiting time for someone to charge up as happens at gas stations. And unlike gas stations where you go specifically to gas up, many of the charging facilities in Japan will be at locations where you plan on spending time shopping or doing something. You won't just be waiting for your car to charge. This is why Japan is working on a standard now.
My husband is on Medicare and the care he receives is outstanding. This last year he had several operations and hospitalizations. Much of his care has been at the University of Washington Medical Center, rated among the top 10 hospitals in the US, and he has had great care with extremely qualified doctors, professors with decades of experience. There are never any questions about his care not being covered. You hear horror stories of private insurance companies denying care or delaying decisions until the patient is too ill to recover. We've never had any problems with Medicare.
Having high speed rail opens up many business and personal opportunities. It really changes how people think of distance. Take Fukuoka-Hiroshima Japan and Portland, OR-Seattle, WA. The cities are approximately the same sizes and distances apart, 175 miles to 180 miles. Between Fukuoka and Hiroshima there are 150 high speed trains running every day and the trip takes 70 minutes. You can also drive or fly between the two cities. Between Portland-Seattle it is impossible to get so quickly from city center to city center. Even flying will take two hours by the time you take in the time it takes to get to and from the airports, go through security, etc. And you certainly don't have 150 opportunities a day to make such a quick trip. The trains in Japan run with a precision which is unimaginable in the US. If trains arrive/leave even one or two minutes earlier or later on certain days, those minutes are noted in time schedules. If they can do it in Japan it could be done in the US. Maybe if we didn't spend $600,000,000,000 a year on a military empire and concentrated on developing the country we'd have the funds to develop the infrastructure other countries enjoy.
The US has become a country of "we can't do it here". It's a shame. People in this country have no idea how backward the US has become. For example, take two cities in Japan, Fukuoka and Hiroshima, cities about the same size as Portland, OR, and Seattle, WA, and about the same distance apart, 175-180 miles.
Between Fukuoka and Hiroshima you can travel by plane, train, or car. As far as the trains, there are 150 trains going between the cities each way every day and the trip takes 62 to 72 minutes city center to city center. It is impossible to travel between Seattle and Portland at that speed. If you are very lucky, you might be able to get between Seattle and Portland city centers in 90 minutes, by traveling out to the airport, going through security, and then back to downtown on the other end. But more than likely it will take at least 2 hours. And then your choices are limited. There aren't 150 flights going each way every day. The train between Seattle and Portland takes over 3 hours and get this, the bridge over the Columbia near Portland is a draw bridge and if there is freighter going up/down the river with a load of wood chips, the freighter has the right of way. The draw bridge opens and the train has to wait twenty to thirty minutes for the freighter to go by. Even though the train is a scheduled passenger service, river traffic takes precedence! To drive between the two cities takes three to four hours depending on traffic.
Between Fukuoka and Hiroshima, you don't even have to think about planning ahead if you want to travel between the two cities. If you suddenly need to get from one city to the other for business or other reason, there is a train leaving every 5 to 15 minutes and you can purchase your ticket on your cel phone while you make a dash for the train station. Such convenience is simply impossible in this country. Having high speed rail between cities makes all kinds of things possible which are unthinkable in the US.
There are so many advantages to having fast rail between city centers. It beats out flying and vehicular travel and is the greenest way to go. It certainly is the most comfortable and safest way to go.
The US could have been the world leader in this technology, but we are sadly to say a country of can't do it here and so we keep falling further and further behind. Don't even talk about comparing rail in other countries to Amtrak. In Japan ticketing is so automated that on some trains, conductors don't even disturb you to ask to see your ticket. Their handheld computers indicate which seats in the reserved cars should be occupied and they won't bother you if you are sitting in your seat. And the train schedules in Japan are so reliable that if trains leave or arrive even a minute or two later on certain days, those one and two minute differences are noted on the train schedules. We should be able to have such reliability and accuracy in the US. Sadly, this country is hopelessly falling further and further behind.
I frequently travel to Japan and going through immigration and customs in Japan is so nice compared to coming back the US. The first impression one has of a country is going through immigration and customs. There is no reason why US immigration has to treat everyone as a threat. 99.9999% of everyone entering the US are no threat to the US. Treating everyone including US citizens as a threat is not productive. It just creates hostility to the US. I've entered the US with Japanese friends and the treatment they received from US immigration was so hostile that I'm afraid to ask them to visit me in the US again. This never happens when I go to Japan.
We live in a global world now. The US needs to be open more than ever. Treating everyone who enters as a criminal does no one any good.
One thing that many in the US would find incredible is that train schedules in Japan are so detailed that if a train arrives or leaves a minute or two earlier or later on certain days, that one or two minute difference is noted in the train schedules. There is no transportation system in the US that has the reliability of trains in Japan. There is no reason we can't have as good a transportation system as other countries. Somehow we've become a country that can't or won't do things anymore.
People in the US have no idea how convenient and pleasant a good rail system can be. For example, I live 70 miles north of Seattle on the I-5 corridor. There are only two trains a day from where I am to Seattle and the ride takes an hour and a half. There is one train in the morning and one in the evening. The schedule makes it impossible to use for commuting. If I drive, it can take anywhere from an hour to three hours each way depending on how backed up I-5 is.
Now compare the situation here in the US between Seattle, WA, and Portland, OR, and Fukuoka and Hiroshima Japan. The cities are similar in size and the distance between them is similar, 175-180 miles. In the US you can either drive, 3 hours minimum one way, take the train, 4 hours minimum one way, or shlep your way to the airport, 30 minutes, deal with security and walking out to the gate, another 30 minutes minimum, fly 30 minutes, and spend another 30 minutes to an hour getting back into town.
Between Fukuoka and Hiroshima there are some 150 high speed trains traveling each way every day and the trip takes 1 hour and 6 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes, so you are averaging about 160 mph with top speeds of 190 mph. You can leave your office in Fukuoka, be on the train in 15 minutes and be in Hiroshima in an hour and ten minutes. It's impossible to do anything like that between Seattle and Portland. In Japan you can make the trip in the morning and easily be back by lunch. Such speed is unimaginable in the US.
The railroads in Japan are constantly undergoing improvements. Trains speeds keep improving, the rolling stock is constantly being improved, service keeps getting upgraded. You can buy your ticket using your cel phone, and on some trains, the conductors won't even ask to see your ticket because their handheld computers tell them that your seat should be occupied.
Having such high speed, convenient rail travel between major cities that are not too far apart makes life so convenient. We have relatives near Portland, OR, and there are many times when it would be nice to be able to go there and back easily in a single day. It just is not possible unless you want to spend 8 to 10 hours driving in a single day! In Japan it's a cinch. There are many corridors in the US where 200+- mph train service would open up all kinds of new business opportunities.
Between Seattle and Portland, 180 miles apart, there are 4 trains each way each day and the trip is 3 hours 10 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes. There are six stops during the trip. It can be longer if the drawbridge on the Columbia happens to go up and your train has to wait for it, or if there is some freight rail traffic that impedes the passenger train. In the USA, boat traffic has the right of way over rail and if a cargo ship carrying woodchips or cow dung or whatever wants to go under the bridge when a scheduled passenger train would cross, the bridge opens and the scheduled passenger train must wait. This can take 20 to 30 minutes. One time when this happened the bridge got stuck open and it took nearly an hour to get it closed again.
Between Hakata (Fukuoka) and Hiroshima, Japan, 175 miles apart, and cities of similar size to Seattle and Portland, there nearly 100 high-speed trains going each way every day and the trip takes as little as an hour and five minutes. Depending on the train there can be as little as one stop in between.
The trains provide city center to city center service. In Japan it is feasible to plan business trips between cities this far apart that take place in as little over three hours; a bit over an hour there, an hour meeting, a bit over an hour back. In the US such a trip is impossible. Even if you fly, by the time you drive or take a cab out to the airport, go through security, fly the short distance and then get into town from the airport, you've wasted far more time.
I use this example from time to time as most people who live in the US have no idea how backward the US can be in certain areas.
For example, one can take a 6AM train from Hakata (Fukuoka) and be in Hiroshima at 7:05AM. The earliest train out of Seattle leaves at 7:30 and doesn't arrive until 11AM (if the train is on time, which it usually isn't). The next train out of Seattle for Portland doesn't leave until 11:20AM. Between 6AM and 11:20AM, there are 28 trains leaving Hakata (Fukuoka) for Hiroshima.
Want to meet for a business lunch in Hiroshima? Take the 10:30AM train and you'll be there at 11:36AM, take the 10:39AM train and be there at 11:49AM, or take the 11:00AM train and get there are 12:05PM.
High speed rail makes a world of difference and is so convenient. There are many distances between cities in the US where having such service would radically change how business is done and how people travel.
Alaska Air offers 20 flights between Seattle and Portland. The travel time is 50 minutes, not much better than the train time between Fukuoka and Hiroshima. The difference is that when you step off the train you are downtown. When you get off the plane, you still have a long trip into town. Having fast, dependable train service between cities would make life much easier in the US.
I live close enough to the Canadian border that I drive into Canada and fly to Japan and Europe out of Canada. It is a much more pleasant experience. Entering Japan and Europe is a much more pleasant experience than entering the US and I'm a white US citizen. Coming through Canadian immigration and customs is a breeze. US customs is the worst. At least the car crossing isn't too onerous. Though one time I was driving into the US with a long time friend from Japan and I was very upset with the way they treated my friend. They were incredibly rude. She doesn't speak English and the immigration officer kept demanding that she had to know English because she traveled so much. US immigration has gotten so bad that I hesitate to invite friends from other countries from even visiting. I'd rather go there and be treated like a human than have my friends endure the berating they get when they come here.
I've had a Prius for over two years now and I average 48 mpg during the winter months and 55 mpg and more during the spring-summer-fall months. At times I get 65 mpg on 15 mile trips. When we've taken the Prius on long trips (1,000 miles plus) with mostly freeway driving we usually get 50 to 60 mpg. What is really great about the car is how quiet it is.
The planned route is quite different than the current shinkansen. It would run from Tokyo west to Kofu, through Nagano and Gifu prefectures. Much of the route is mountainous so there would be numerous tunnels. You'll find a proposed route at www.linear-chuo-exp-cpf.gr.jp. The site is in Japanese but even if you can't read Japanese, there are many illustrations.
I sent an email to Circuit City and said among other things, "What you are doing to your workers is deplorable. You are going to end up hiring lower skilled workers and so the help available in your stores will be even worse than it is now." This is what they told me:
>Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We value our customers' feedback.
>
>As we stated in our news release yesterday, we are taking a number of actions
>to improve our cost and expense structure. We are holding ourselves accountable
>to our associates, our customers, our communities, and our shareholders to build
>a strong company that generates sustainable growth for the future.
>
>Our goal is to provide superior service while effectively competing against
>low-cost retailers. We are working towards this goal by making changes, such as
>announced yesterday, and with the help of over 40,000 associates who keep our
>customers at the center of everything we do. We hope you will allow our Circuit City
>team to serve you in the future.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>M. Garcia
>Customer Support Coordinator
You can deauthorize all computers so that you can get back all your 5 computers. Computers do break, get lost, stolen, etc and so Apple does provide a way to get back your 5 authorized computers even if you no longer have access to one of the computers.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=930 14
The Neo1973 is 1.7 times as large as the iPhone (138,424 cubic centimeters versus 81,374 cubic centimeters for iPhone). It comes with hardly any memory and at most expands to 2GB of memory, which is 1/2 to 1/4 of the iPhones, it has no WiFi, uses USB 1.1 instead of USB 2.0, has no camera. Doesn't sound that competitive.
I've been watching the ranking of the black Zune on Amazon's Bestsellers list and it has been dropping like a stone since its introduction. I first saw it in the top 30, then in the top 40, top 50 and now it is down to #93. This doesn't bode well for a new product. If it was really good, it would be climbing up into the top 10. Right now there are 5 iPods in the top 10 list and iPods take up positions 1, 2 and 3. There are three other non-iPod mp3 players in the top 25. At this rate, the Zune will fall from the top 100 list soon.
Instead of sales building, the black Zune is now down to #31 and the brown Zune #97 on Amazon's most popular electronic items list. There are nine versions of iPods in positions 1 to 30. I wonder if there will be any Zune in the top 100 within a few days. At one time the black Zune was in position 8 according to an earlier posting.
Japan still has an embarkation process you go through when leaving Japan. If you are a visitor, when you arrive in Japan an "embarkation" slip is stapled into your passport. When you leave, this "embarkation" slip is removed and that way the Japanese government has a record of when you enter and leave. Japanese also go through embarkation controls when they leave Japan so that the government has a record of all Japanese who have left the country and are away on business or travel.
Slashdot Mirror
When you return ballots in Washington State, you put the ballot in a secrecy envelope, and then put that envelope in a return envelope which you sign. The state checks your signature when it receives your envelope. "If you fail to sign the ballot declaration, or the signature on the ballot declaration does not match the signature in your voter registration record, your county elections department will contact you. If you are unable to sign the declaration, make a mark in front of two witnesses and have them sign in the designated spaces." from https://wei.sos.wa.gov/agency/... If your signature is OK, the secrecy envelope is put in the stack of ballots to be opened and counted. No one who handles the stack of ballots to be counted has any idea whose they are. There are also bar codes on the envelopes so making duplicate copies and mailing them in won't work either. Washington State has been voting by mail for many years, and it works very well. You get your ballot in your mail, can take your time to fill it in at your leisure, and either mail it back or drop it off at a collection box through election day. You don't have to worry about taking time off from work, standing in line, or any of that. The biggest plus is that since there are no polling stations, there are no exit polls. The media has to wait until the results come in before they can say how a vote is going down. They can't say, 20% of this group is voting this way and 40% of that group is voting that way.
The problem with bt GMO corn is that the pesticide is present in the corn field 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Prudent use of a pesticide dictates that you use the pesticide as infrequently and as sparingly as possible. If you use it all the time, the insects you are trying to control will develop a resistance to it. But with a GMO plant which is producing the toxin continuously, you are providing the perfect environment for the insect to develop a resistance to it. Sadly, bt toxin is a pesticide that many organic farmers depend on. Since bt toxin is a naturally occurring toxin, it is allowed in organic farming. But, due to GMO crops like bt corn, organic farmers are going to lose a useful, natural pesticide as insects develop resistance to it because they are exposed to it all the time. But companies like Monsato will never be held liable for selling a product that is causing immense harm to organic farmers.
I drive much less than I used to. Back in the summer of 2010 I decided to ditch the car for daily use and switched to bicycling. I lost 60 pounds in 6 months and have never felt better. I now bicycle 3,000 to 4,000 miles a year. I live out in the country and have found bicycling to be practical. It is 4 miles to the Post Office. 6 miles to the barber. 8 miles to the bank. 9 miles west to a meat store in the country. 10 miles south to a supermarket. I've got a good rack and saddle bags on my bike and can easily haul 70 pounds of groceries. It seems ridiculous now to use a 1 to 2 ton piece of machinery to go a few miles. My basic guidance is that if I'm going 5 miles one way or less, I'll bicycle. If I'm going 5 to 10 miles one way, it is a toss up depending on what I'm doing. And if I'm going more than 10 miles one way, than I'll probably drive. I don't even use the car every week. If I lived in town, I'd consider not even owning a car. amanandhishoe.com
JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) has been working on such a system from a number of years and plans to have 1-gigawatt space solar power system operating around 2030. http://www.jaxa.jp/article/interview/vol53/index_e.html
You don't have to use Safari to browse the web on the iPad. iCab Mobile is a browser you can get for the iPad from Apple's App store and it has tabbed browsing. There are other browsers for the iPad that support tabbed browsing too. I don't know why Safari for the iPad doesn't.
Charging stations in Japan will be very common. Some of the convenience store chains such as Lawson which has over 9,500 stores in Japan, are planning on having charging stations at their stores which have parking lots. So are supermarkets. The charging stations won't be limited to current gasoline stations. Eventually many places where you park will have charging facilities so there will be little waiting time for someone to charge up as happens at gas stations. And unlike gas stations where you go specifically to gas up, many of the charging facilities in Japan will be at locations where you plan on spending time shopping or doing something. You won't just be waiting for your car to charge. This is why Japan is working on a standard now.
My husband is on Medicare and the care he receives is outstanding. This last year he had several operations and hospitalizations. Much of his care has been at the University of Washington Medical Center, rated among the top 10 hospitals in the US, and he has had great care with extremely qualified doctors, professors with decades of experience. There are never any questions about his care not being covered. You hear horror stories of private insurance companies denying care or delaying decisions until the patient is too ill to recover. We've never had any problems with Medicare.
Having high speed rail opens up many business and personal opportunities. It really changes how people think of distance. Take Fukuoka-Hiroshima Japan and Portland, OR-Seattle, WA. The cities are approximately the same sizes and distances apart, 175 miles to 180 miles. Between Fukuoka and Hiroshima there are 150 high speed trains running every day and the trip takes 70 minutes. You can also drive or fly between the two cities. Between Portland-Seattle it is impossible to get so quickly from city center to city center. Even flying will take two hours by the time you take in the time it takes to get to and from the airports, go through security, etc. And you certainly don't have 150 opportunities a day to make such a quick trip. The trains in Japan run with a precision which is unimaginable in the US. If trains arrive/leave even one or two minutes earlier or later on certain days, those minutes are noted in time schedules. If they can do it in Japan it could be done in the US. Maybe if we didn't spend $600,000,000,000 a year on a military empire and concentrated on developing the country we'd have the funds to develop the infrastructure other countries enjoy.
The US has become a country of "we can't do it here". It's a shame. People in this country have no idea how backward the US has become. For example, take two cities in Japan, Fukuoka and Hiroshima, cities about the same size as Portland, OR, and Seattle, WA, and about the same distance apart, 175-180 miles.
Between Fukuoka and Hiroshima you can travel by plane, train, or car. As far as the trains, there are 150 trains going between the cities each way every day and the trip takes 62 to 72 minutes city center to city center. It is impossible to travel between Seattle and Portland at that speed. If you are very lucky, you might be able to get between Seattle and Portland city centers in 90 minutes, by traveling out to the airport, going through security, and then back to downtown on the other end. But more than likely it will take at least 2 hours. And then your choices are limited. There aren't 150 flights going each way every day. The train between Seattle and Portland takes over 3 hours and get this, the bridge over the Columbia near Portland is a draw bridge and if there is freighter going up/down the river with a load of wood chips, the freighter has the right of way. The draw bridge opens and the train has to wait twenty to thirty minutes for the freighter to go by. Even though the train is a scheduled passenger service, river traffic takes precedence! To drive between the two cities takes three to four hours depending on traffic.
Between Fukuoka and Hiroshima, you don't even have to think about planning ahead if you want to travel between the two cities. If you suddenly need to get from one city to the other for business or other reason, there is a train leaving every 5 to 15 minutes and you can purchase your ticket on your cel phone while you make a dash for the train station. Such convenience is simply impossible in this country. Having high speed rail between cities makes all kinds of things possible which are unthinkable in the US.
There are so many advantages to having fast rail between city centers. It beats out flying and vehicular travel and is the greenest way to go. It certainly is the most comfortable and safest way to go.
The US could have been the world leader in this technology, but we are sadly to say a country of can't do it here and so we keep falling further and further behind. Don't even talk about comparing rail in other countries to Amtrak. In Japan ticketing is so automated that on some trains, conductors don't even disturb you to ask to see your ticket. Their handheld computers indicate which seats in the reserved cars should be occupied and they won't bother you if you are sitting in your seat. And the train schedules in Japan are so reliable that if trains leave or arrive even a minute or two later on certain days, those one and two minute differences are noted on the train schedules. We should be able to have such reliability and accuracy in the US. Sadly, this country is hopelessly falling further and further behind.
I frequently travel to Japan and going through immigration and customs in Japan is so nice compared to coming back the US. The first impression one has of a country is going through immigration and customs. There is no reason why US immigration has to treat everyone as a threat. 99.9999% of everyone entering the US are no threat to the US. Treating everyone including US citizens as a threat is not productive. It just creates hostility to the US. I've entered the US with Japanese friends and the treatment they received from US immigration was so hostile that I'm afraid to ask them to visit me in the US again. This never happens when I go to Japan. We live in a global world now. The US needs to be open more than ever. Treating everyone who enters as a criminal does no one any good.
One thing that many in the US would find incredible is that train schedules in Japan are so detailed that if a train arrives or leaves a minute or two earlier or later on certain days, that one or two minute difference is noted in the train schedules. There is no transportation system in the US that has the reliability of trains in Japan. There is no reason we can't have as good a transportation system as other countries. Somehow we've become a country that can't or won't do things anymore.
People in the US have no idea how convenient and pleasant a good rail system can be. For example, I live 70 miles north of Seattle on the I-5 corridor. There are only two trains a day from where I am to Seattle and the ride takes an hour and a half. There is one train in the morning and one in the evening. The schedule makes it impossible to use for commuting. If I drive, it can take anywhere from an hour to three hours each way depending on how backed up I-5 is.
Now compare the situation here in the US between Seattle, WA, and Portland, OR, and Fukuoka and Hiroshima Japan. The cities are similar in size and the distance between them is similar, 175-180 miles. In the US you can either drive, 3 hours minimum one way, take the train, 4 hours minimum one way, or shlep your way to the airport, 30 minutes, deal with security and walking out to the gate, another 30 minutes minimum, fly 30 minutes, and spend another 30 minutes to an hour getting back into town.
Between Fukuoka and Hiroshima there are some 150 high speed trains traveling each way every day and the trip takes 1 hour and 6 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes, so you are averaging about 160 mph with top speeds of 190 mph. You can leave your office in Fukuoka, be on the train in 15 minutes and be in Hiroshima in an hour and ten minutes. It's impossible to do anything like that between Seattle and Portland. In Japan you can make the trip in the morning and easily be back by lunch. Such speed is unimaginable in the US.
The railroads in Japan are constantly undergoing improvements. Trains speeds keep improving, the rolling stock is constantly being improved, service keeps getting upgraded. You can buy your ticket using your cel phone, and on some trains, the conductors won't even ask to see your ticket because their handheld computers tell them that your seat should be occupied.
Having such high speed, convenient rail travel between major cities that are not too far apart makes life so convenient. We have relatives near Portland, OR, and there are many times when it would be nice to be able to go there and back easily in a single day. It just is not possible unless you want to spend 8 to 10 hours driving in a single day! In Japan it's a cinch. There are many corridors in the US where 200+- mph train service would open up all kinds of new business opportunities.
Between Seattle and Portland, 180 miles apart, there are 4 trains each way each day and the trip is 3 hours 10 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes. There are six stops during the trip. It can be longer if the drawbridge on the Columbia happens to go up and your train has to wait for it, or if there is some freight rail traffic that impedes the passenger train. In the USA, boat traffic has the right of way over rail and if a cargo ship carrying woodchips or cow dung or whatever wants to go under the bridge when a scheduled passenger train would cross, the bridge opens and the scheduled passenger train must wait. This can take 20 to 30 minutes. One time when this happened the bridge got stuck open and it took nearly an hour to get it closed again.
Between Hakata (Fukuoka) and Hiroshima, Japan, 175 miles apart, and cities of similar size to Seattle and Portland, there nearly 100 high-speed trains going each way every day and the trip takes as little as an hour and five minutes. Depending on the train there can be as little as one stop in between.
The trains provide city center to city center service. In Japan it is feasible to plan business trips between cities this far apart that take place in as little over three hours; a bit over an hour there, an hour meeting, a bit over an hour back. In the US such a trip is impossible. Even if you fly, by the time you drive or take a cab out to the airport, go through security, fly the short distance and then get into town from the airport, you've wasted far more time.
I use this example from time to time as most people who live in the US have no idea how backward the US can be in certain areas.
For example, one can take a 6AM train from Hakata (Fukuoka) and be in Hiroshima at 7:05AM. The earliest train out of Seattle leaves at 7:30 and doesn't arrive until 11AM (if the train is on time, which it usually isn't). The next train out of Seattle for Portland doesn't leave until 11:20AM. Between 6AM and 11:20AM, there are 28 trains leaving Hakata (Fukuoka) for Hiroshima.
Want to meet for a business lunch in Hiroshima? Take the 10:30AM train and you'll be there at 11:36AM, take the 10:39AM train and be there at 11:49AM, or take the 11:00AM train and get there are 12:05PM.
High speed rail makes a world of difference and is so convenient. There are many distances between cities in the US where having such service would radically change how business is done and how people travel.
Alaska Air offers 20 flights between Seattle and Portland. The travel time is 50 minutes, not much better than the train time between Fukuoka and Hiroshima. The difference is that when you step off the train you are downtown. When you get off the plane, you still have a long trip into town. Having fast, dependable train service between cities would make life much easier in the US.
I live close enough to the Canadian border that I drive into Canada and fly to Japan and Europe out of Canada. It is a much more pleasant experience. Entering Japan and Europe is a much more pleasant experience than entering the US and I'm a white US citizen. Coming through Canadian immigration and customs is a breeze. US customs is the worst. At least the car crossing isn't too onerous. Though one time I was driving into the US with a long time friend from Japan and I was very upset with the way they treated my friend. They were incredibly rude. She doesn't speak English and the immigration officer kept demanding that she had to know English because she traveled so much. US immigration has gotten so bad that I hesitate to invite friends from other countries from even visiting. I'd rather go there and be treated like a human than have my friends endure the berating they get when they come here.
You can read about Japan's Maglev project here Yamanashi Maglev.
We average 55 mpg on our 2004 Prius and often get 60+ mpg on shorter trips (10 to 30 miles).
You'll find the explanation as to how to transfer your phone numbers from other carriers on this page http://www.apple.com/iphone/usingiphone/activation .html.
I've had a Prius for over two years now and I average 48 mpg during the winter months and 55 mpg and more during the spring-summer-fall months. At times I get 65 mpg on 15 mile trips. When we've taken the Prius on long trips (1,000 miles plus) with mostly freeway driving we usually get 50 to 60 mpg. What is really great about the car is how quiet it is.
The planned route is quite different than the current shinkansen. It would run from Tokyo west to Kofu, through Nagano and Gifu prefectures. Much of the route is mountainous so there would be numerous tunnels. You'll find a proposed route at www.linear-chuo-exp-cpf.gr.jp. The site is in Japanese but even if you can't read Japanese, there are many illustrations.
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You can deauthorize all computers so that you can get back all your 5 computers. Computers do break, get lost, stolen, etc and so Apple does provide a way to get back your 5 authorized computers even if you no longer have access to one of the computers. http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=930 14
The Neo1973 is 1.7 times as large as the iPhone (138,424 cubic centimeters versus 81,374 cubic centimeters for iPhone). It comes with hardly any memory and at most expands to 2GB of memory, which is 1/2 to 1/4 of the iPhones, it has no WiFi, uses USB 1.1 instead of USB 2.0, has no camera. Doesn't sound that competitive.
I've been watching the ranking of the black Zune on Amazon's Bestsellers list and it has been dropping like a stone since its introduction. I first saw it in the top 30, then in the top 40, top 50 and now it is down to #93. This doesn't bode well for a new product. If it was really good, it would be climbing up into the top 10. Right now there are 5 iPods in the top 10 list and iPods take up positions 1, 2 and 3. There are three other non-iPod mp3 players in the top 25. At this rate, the Zune will fall from the top 100 list soon.
Instead of sales building, the black Zune is now down to #31 and the brown Zune #97 on Amazon's most popular electronic items list. There are nine versions of iPods in positions 1 to 30. I wonder if there will be any Zune in the top 100 within a few days. At one time the black Zune was in position 8 according to an earlier posting.
Japan still has an embarkation process you go through when leaving Japan. If you are a visitor, when you arrive in Japan an "embarkation" slip is stapled into your passport. When you leave, this "embarkation" slip is removed and that way the Japanese government has a record of when you enter and leave. Japanese also go through embarkation controls when they leave Japan so that the government has a record of all Japanese who have left the country and are away on business or travel.