I have microlent to:
| Location: | Tajikistan, Isfara |
| Activity: | Cloth & Dressmaking Supplies |
| Location: | Ukraine, Zaporozhye |
| Activity: | Shoe Sales |
 | Name | Nellie Quibranza's... |
| Business | General Store | |
| Country | Philippines | |
| Raised | $0/600 | |
 | Name | Wayna Ccapac Group |
| Business | Pharmacy | |
| Country | Peru | |
| Raised | $475/2750 | |
March 8, 2010
I don’t care for rap, but I do find this video with Lord Keynes and F.A. Hayek dueling rather entertaining. I’ve read a small bit of both, but only the former in freshman economics.
Filed under: Money, Policy, Song o' the Week | Comments (0)
March 7, 2010
Earlier today there was an interesting news segment about a man who runs or ran a water analysis business. He lives in an area with many salty hot springs but a shrinking population. He began experimenting with breeding blowfish, fugu, in the hot spring water, which proved quite successful: big contained blowfish. Looking to increase fishery space, he went about town but nobody could help. He saw the two junior high schools were being merged due to population decline, so he went to check out the junior high that would be left empty: floors not level. Not long after, however, the municipal government called him up about an empty elementary school. He checked it out and found it to be structurally sound. Apparently the city is letting him use it for free or a nominal charge; he employes about eight people in a growing business. Each classroom now has its own school: of blowfish!
Fascinating, truly.
Filed under: Edible, Japan, Money, Stimuli | Comments (0)
March 7, 2010
I don’t recall where I came across this article about a pair stealing textbooks to resell for money, apparently to buy drugs. I’ve heard textbooks have become quite costly in the US, especially those for higher level hard science courses: a small consumer base pushes up prices. When I was a student, I recall a fellow grad student who would go buy a textbook, photocopy the whole thing, and return it for a full refund. Yes, the student violated copyright, which I do not endorse, but the time and money spent at the copier was less than the price of the textbook.
Perhaps the most interesting development I’ve read about it Chegg.com. You rent textbooks from them. They arrive with a (prepaid?) shipping contained in which you ship the books back when term ends. Very clever.
I’ve had some experience with online learning and software manuals, but to learn, to really learn, there is no substitute for paper. Yes, I can add notes to a PDF manual, but I’d still rather have the book that I can scribble in, fold the pages of, and open beside the computer while the target software fills the screen.
Filed under: Academe, Crime, Lit, Money | Comments (0)
March 6, 2010
Today a girl passed the café I was sitting in. She was walking with her head down, apparently crying a bit. Considering the direction from which she came and her age, I expect she had been to Hitotsubashi University to check the posted entrance exam scores and found she had not made the cut.
In front of the results boards, I’ve seen students literally jump with joy at their success and others shrug at failure. Yet I’ve never seen a student cry.
Filed under: Academe, Japan | Comments (0)
March 5, 2010
Last year some guy in Wakayama Prefecture made video of himself on his racing bike (1300cc) screaming at speeds of up to 188kph and passing on the yellow in a 50kph zone. He put the video on YouTube, where the police saw it. They eventually found and arrested him. So far, he’s been fined about $1,000 but more might come. The motorcyclist pulled the video, but not before someone copied it. It’s been on national news lately and a subject of various blog posts.
If that link doesn’t work, you can try this narrated news report with a bit of the original footage.
I began riding a motorcycle at 15, but I’ve never had a racing bike. Honestly I don’t want one. Watching this guy scream through the turns makes me uneasy, wondering “What if…”
However, on the straightaways when he twists the throttle open, I’m fine with that.
Filed under: Crime, Japan, Travel | Comments (0)
March 3, 2010
From Yahoo.co.jp, I recently read a short article that was a prelude to a longer piece. Here’s the sum content of two sentences:
マイカーへの依存が高まり、長期的に公共交通の利用者は減少傾向。事業者の撤退で交通空白地帯が出現する地域も。
My poor translation:
“As the number of people addicted to ‘my car’ increases, the long-term trend of a decrease in public transit users continues. Due to the retreat of businesspeople, areas devoid of transportation (or interaction) are also growing.”
Personally, I don’t see this where I live. However, were I to live further out past Tachikawa, I expect this would begin to be so. People and companies move to the suburbs, which are cheaper. Not everyone wants to sit on a crowded stinking noisy train that might get held up by a suicide. My understanding is most employers pay for employees’ transportation costs—mine pays for my rail and bus passes—but that is surely a choice target for cutting when the money’s tight. My previous employer quit paying part-time instructors’ transit fees, which caused them to lose a few who otherwise couldn’t earn enough money to cover the costs of reaching the job, sometimes staying a night, and returning to their distant homes. Such reductions could lead people to seek jobs that require driving. Moreover, driving might actually be cheaper, depending on various factors.
In Tokushima, commuting by train was rather uncommon, because the lines were slow. People who lived inside the city often bicycled; those at the edge of the city or in suburbs usually drove because bus frequency was low. My first rental there was a 20- or 30-minute heavy bicycle ride to work. The bus came only once an hour, and the last bus from the central station was 7:30: almost useless. Miss that bus and you had to take a taxi, which would end up about $20 instead of $1.60. With terrible public transit, reasonable distances, and fairly large home plots, it was not uncommon for Tokushima families to have 2+ cars, which people here urban Tokyo marvel at: unthinkable!
Filed under: Japan, Travel | Comments (0)
March 1, 2010
The embedded video gets cut off, but I like this song, which appeared on a very eclectic compilation CD I bought years ago in Japan. The CD included a number hits by France Girl/Gall but also “Over the Rainbow” from the Wizard of Oz. Very strange.
I can’t help thinking, Does she still have her baby teeth?
Filed under: Song o' the Week | Comments (0)
February 28, 2010
I went to junior and senior high school with Ann. Unfortunately I was in Japan when she appeared on Wheel of Fortune and did quite well!
Filed under: Money, People, TV | Comments (0)
February 28, 2010
I am glad I sold my Palm shares, for a small profit, a while back. With shenanigans like this, I can’t help but think Palm is unconsciously seeking its own destruction.
Filed under: Palm | Comments (0)
February 26, 2010
Some recent observations:
Filed under: Japan | Comments (0)
February 22, 2010
The intro drags a bit before turning into electro-pop that certain gothic girls were into.
Filed under: Song o' the Week | Comments (0)
February 20, 2010
This article claims Steve Jobs has kept Flash off the iPad for being “obsolete.” He also says it’s a security risk and a “CPU hog.” I don’t know about any of these statements and will never buy an iPad. However, as someone who makes interactive panoramas for fun, this is bad news. I belong to the IVRPA and subscribe to various email groups for professional panorama photographers, many of whom are dumping QuickTime (because it has dumped VR) for Flash. Java is an option, but few seem to go for it.
Google is beginning or preparing to expand its Street View panoramic offerings to include the insides of stores. A Mexican guy on one list was quite hot about this, as Google is working Mexico City—his business turf—heavily; he called Google “fascists” for this. So some of the professional panorama people are wound up, naturally, as it could cut into their businesses. Others, however, welcome the competition and the possibility of Google’s free panoramas sparking interest in paying for better quality.
Filed under: Internet, Mac, Media, Panorama, Tech | Comments (0)
February 19, 2010
It’s a one-page Pew report of Indiana’s state pension, health care, and other benefits’ promises and funding. It looks pretty bad (PDF). Texas is doing better (PDF). I’m hesitant to look at basket cases like Illinois and California.
Filed under: Money, Policy | Comments (0)