Guess I’ll have to wait until it’s on sale again.

Here’s an example of one of the carts I mentioned the other day. For some reason, only a few are riding in the cart and the rest are walking. Usually it’s just Kids in Carts.

Whatever the transport mode, they’re cute as hell.

Remember the feathered squatter? Well, I took another look while no one was roosting, and lo and behold, there is indeed a nest now, and there are indeed two eggs right there on my balcony.

Wonder how long until they hatch?

Either that, or they’re huge Monty Python fans.

Here’s a Norman Rockwell, Japanese style. Note the classic yellow hats and the raised hands while crossing. These kids must be one grade up from the younger kids who get corralled five or six to a cart and pushed around town. For some reason, I always see two such carts filled with kids, never one or three.

Anyway, I wonder where these kids are going from and to? Are they going to a school? And from what gathering place? Or are they going home, and if so, why all together?

Probably it’s just a field trip of some sort, or something to do outside so they don’t get too antsy….

Saw this from Koshu Kaido near Hachioji the other day.

Took a day off from blogging for a birthday break yesterday (39, if you must know). It was a nice day; I got several gifts I did not expect, both at work and at home. I watched videos and had a nice dinner with a friend. Yum. Very nice, laid-back day.

It’s not much, but then I shop here quite often. A couple pillows (why is it so hard to find pillows in Japan that aren’t tiny and don’t have the bean-bag stuff on one or both sides?), lemons, a juicer (works pretty well, tried it last night), some peppers, and that’s a chicken bake in the wrapper.

In case you hadn’t known, Costco opened its third branch in Japan in western Tokyo last year. This is after their first store in Fukuoka and their second in Makuhari, Chiba (#4 is slated for Osaka, then #5 in Saitama, by the way). The west Tokyo branch is located in Tama-Sakai, one station east of Hashimoto on the Keio-Sagamihara line. From Shinjuku or any other station on the Keio line, go to Chofu and transfer to a Hashimoto-bound train (one that stops at every station, or take the express to Hashimoto and double back). If you’re north, west or south of there, you can take the Sagami or Yokohama lines into Hashimoto and hop the one station to Tama-Sakai.

At Tama-Sakai, it’s a 15-minute walk to the Costco; directions, though straightforward, are a bit hard to describe, but if you ask someone local they’re pretty sure to know the way. Most people drive there, and there’s a lot of parking. If you buy too much or want to buy something you know you can’t carry, don’t worry–there’s a takkyubin desk in-store behind the registers, and they will deliver almost anything you buy there, except maybe the really big items (like the jacuzzi, for instance).

Also, bring a backpack and/or bags–they don’t give you anything but spare boxes to carry stuff away, they presume you’ll bring your own. Not the most upscale of shopping experiences, but where else in Japan can you buy stuff like Polish sausages, 4-cheese ravioli, real bagels, or an assortment of other stuff including clothes, electronics, toiletries, vitamins, liquor, meat fruit and vegetables, clothes, books, DVDs, power tools, soaps and detergents, so forth and so on.

Not to mention they have a big food court that sells pizza, chicken bakes (try one), churros, and other stuff, with free-refill drinks.

And it’s all cheap, cheap I tells ya!

I’d been hearing an excessive amount of cooing outside my windows, and had noted pigeons hanging out there a bit–but now it seems I’ve got one nesting out on my balcony. I have an old, beat-up metal shelf rack out there with the bottom covered over with a tarp. Last night I went out to clean some stuff out of there and was just a bit more than slightly surprised to have a pigeon suddenly panic and fly up into my face!

Well, it came back, and is now comfortably resting there. Nothing there but a few bags with rags and throwaway stuff, but it seems quite content roughing it. I was surprised that it let me get within a few feet of it to take these shots. I’ve checked during the day when it’s gone–no nest, no eggs.

So there it’ll stay. Always thought pigeons got a bad rap, with them being called “rats with wings” and such. They’re basically gray doves–in fact, the species name is actually “Rock Dove.” Come from Europe, where they roost on ledges of cliffs. You wouldn’t mind of a dove nested on your balcony, now would you?

A little lull in blogging, due to a heavy work schedule. Here’s a nice image, though, of a Shinjuku (East side) back street just before sunset.

…then you may not have heard much about Private Jessica Lynch. Not much having to do with reality, that is. She was the one who, according to the Pentagon, was shot, stabbed and captured by the Iraqis, who took her to a hospital where her injuries were ignored and she was slapped around by Iraqi soldiers, until a valiant squad of American soldiers staged a nighttime rescue mission during which, under enemy fire, they got Private Lynch out of danger and onto a chopper that brought her back safe. We even saw parts of it on TV.

Sadly, it’s fiction. Practically science fiction, in fact. The BBC broke the story that Lynch’s rescue was a staged media event. First of all, she was injured when her vehicle overturned, and was not shot or stabbed–this confirmed by U.S. doctors, who added that her wounds had indeed been properly treated, not ignored. Apparently, Lynch was given the best possible treatment in light of the situation, and local doctors donated their own blood. She was not, it turns out, slapped or even interrogated in any way. In fact, Iraqi forces deserted the hospital many days before the “rescue,” and Iraqi doctors even tried to deliver her back in an ambulance–but were turned back when U.S. soldiers at a checkpoint opened fire on the vehicle. The “rescue” a few days later was unnecessary, no one fired on the American troops, though the U.S. troops did fire many shots and set off some explosions in the hospital. They were even offered a master key so they would not have to knock down the hospital’s doors, but for some reason declined to accept it. And the video we saw was shot by the military, was carefully edited, and the original tape is still under lock and key–the administration refuses to release it. Now a Democratic contender, Dennis Kucinich, is demanding the full and unedited tape be released. Like that’ll happen soon. It’s likely resting comfortably in a secure, undisclosed location next to Cheney’s transcripts of energy policy meetings and President Bush’s full criminal record.

And now, everyone involved has shut up. An Iraqi lawyer who gave intel for the attack was rewarded with asylum in the U.S. and refuses interviews. The soldiers who were involved in the raid also refuse to recount what happened, Private Lynch has “amnesia,” and her family says they’re “not supposed to talk about it” (but if Lynch has amnesia, what could they possibly say?).

The media, which gave endlessly repeated coverage to Lynch’s plight, rescue, and aftermath, is now quiet as a church mouse about it. The main media outlets cover the story only laterally, usually in reference to some other story like an attack on the BBC’s reliability, or in the form of a Pentagon denial. More stories appear on newspaper web sites, but usually laden with refutations by military analysts and “experts” which make the Iraqi doctors sound like liars. The L.A. Times had a reasonable story on it, and I’m sure some others, but most others carried the standard AP Newswire feed–and what coverage there has been of how we were lied to is massively overwhelmed by the coverage given to the fiction.

The TV people will certainly make sure you get the more palatable version. A&E has already broadcast a documentary about the false version of events, and NBC (which gushed about the rescue in this “news” story) has a made-for-TV movie coming out later this year. Think they’ll go for the BBC account?

From last week’s The Onion, in the “What Do You Think? column (Question: What do you think about the spam epidemic?). Put it on your list of regular sites to visit, it’s great.

Oops.

The guy at right is probably not as ashamed as you might think, depending on his particular crime. There’s a very good chance that he was pulled over for something that was safe, reasonable, and yet still illegal.

Japanese traffic police are an interesting breed. If we were to class them as we would a species of bird, we would note that they have a very specific range–in this case, primarily along major thoroughfares, especially at intersections or at the exits of underpasses. Their “diet” is primarily motorcycles or other two wheeled vehicles; they might occasionally snack on cars or vans, but they never, ever go after trucks, no matter what crazy thing one might do. And they are most definitely diurnal; you will never see one out after dark. In fact, they never go out when it rains or snows, either; they apparently have a very delicate constitution.

OK, ornithological analogies aside, Japanese motorcycle cops are not exactly doing the job they are supposed to be doing, which is–and I’m making a big reach by presuming this–protecting public safety on the roads. In fact, their mandate is likely closer to what it is for most police in Japan, which is to make a good show of law enforcement without really getting involved, except for high-profile cases.

As I mentioned, Japanese traffic cops have poor habits for enforcement. First, they only venture out onto the big roads, like Koshu-Kaido, Ome-Kaido, and so on. With the multitude of smaller roads and blind corners where traffic disobedience can present real dangers to the public, you might think they would normally patrol these areas as well, but they don’t. Even on the bigger roads, they hang out at major intersections and at the exits of underpasses only. Why? Because it’s easy to catch people there. Seriously. That’s where people slow down, making it easier to pull them over. Also, you can find people violating technical rules there more often, rules that do not necessarily endanger anyone but make for juicy traffic fine fodder.

One example: I knew a guy who rode a 50cc scooter. At one intersection, he got into the right turn lane (in Japan, you drive on the left, so a right turn at an intersection means crossing the opposite lane of traffic), and he got pulled over. The officer gave him a ticket. Why? Because in Japan, if you are riding a scooter under 51cc and you make a right turn at an intersection with two major lanes of traffic and a third turn lane, it is illegal. Why? No good reason whatsoever. They just made the law that way. If you know how Japanese traffic works, you will know that there is no earthly difference between a 50cc and a 70cc scooter making that same turn. A 50cc bike is allowed to drive in any lane of traffic, no matter how many lanes there are. When you go from the rightmost lane into the right turn lane, you slow down, meaning 50cc vehicles have no problem there. Making the turn itself is no problem. There is no part of that maneuver which is not perfectly safe for a 50cc vehicle. But the police can write lots of lucrative traffic tickets for it.

Another profitable spot is at the exit of two-lane underpasses. Why? Because such underpasses always have lanes separated by a yellow (no-cross) line. Why is it there? I can’t think of a logical reason. But bikes will often cross it, and they’re easy to catch on the straightaway or traffic light right after. Also, the cop can hide easily there, as he can at the intersection.

In addition, they go after motorcycles far more often than any other vehicle, far out of proportion to offenses committed. And I have never seen them pull over a truck. One time I saw a truck make a sudden and extremely dangerous lane change, over a no-cross yellow line, no less. A traffic cop was right there, watching. He did nothing. A minute later, a motorcycle crossed the yellow line, in a completely safe way. He got pulled over.

There is also a season, by the way–traffic campaign seasons, multi-week stretches (usually 2 or 3 times a year) when traffic cops are at intersections and underpasses everywhere, writing tickets like mad. Why the sudden enthusiasm? They get paid extra for every traffic ticket they write.

Traffic cops seem to have a good union, because they are never out at night, nor do they come out in inclement weather. Which are, naturally, the times when traffic violations present greater dangers than usual due to lack of visibility and control. But I concluded long ago that cops in Japan are more about show than safety. One example: I have only seen one speed trap (a guy seated on a folding chair with a radar setup, in radio contact with traffic cops at the other end of the street) set up in my years in Japan. It was along a riverside road. The road itself is ludicrous: half a kilometer long, the river on one side, a huge building on the other; no intersections along that stretch, no houses, no pedestrian traffic, just a nice, long unbroken straightaway. So of course the speed limit is 30. That’s Kph, not Mph. It comes out to just under 20 mph. Someone would have to be insane not to “speed” there. They put up the trap there precisely because of that, and because it’s easy as pie to stop people. Does it help public safety? Not in the least.

On the other hand, there is a small street I sometimes walk on, one of those very narrow two-lane streets you often see in Japan, but this one with lots of blind corners and heavy traffic. A straightaway, no stops signs or lights for a 200-meter stretch. People crossing the street all the time, cars coming out of the blind intersections. The speed limit on that road is 40 kph (25 mph), and people speed quite often. It’s one of the most dangerous streets I know of. Furthermore, there is a large police station right smack at the end of the street. And yet I have never seen a speed trap there, nor any cop watching traffic. Go figure.

This all jibes with what you hear about Japanese police in general. Someone stole your wallet/purse/whatever? Sorry, we can’t help you, in fact don’t even bother us by filling out a report. Bosozoku (hot rodders on scooters and motorcycles) racing up and down your street at 2 a.m., endlessly revving their engines at artificially-enhanced noise levels, breaking traffic laws left and right? Don’t bother us.

But if you see a guy on a 50cc scooter going at safe speeds making an orderly right turn on a 3-lane street, by all means, report it immediately. We don’t want a menace like that going unchecked.

Update: I have encountered two more speed traps like those mentioned here. Both were in almost identical circumstances–not dangerous at all, but well-placed to catch safe drivers in technical illegalities. But I have also seen two instances recently which made my eyes pop: a truck and a taxi (not at the same time–different days) pulled over and ticketed. I have never seen that before, either one. Not because they drive safely, especially not taxis, but, I believe, because cops give them a break, either because they share a common background or simply because taxi and truck drivers depend on driving for their livelihood.

Thanks to Mani for providing more links to the FCC story, including one that led me to find the following full-page ad taken out in major U.S. papers recently:

The ad is downloadable in PDF format.

As expected, the FCC decided that one person or corporation may own wider and broader swaths of the media than ever before. Already lacking voices outside the mainstream, the big 6 television media owners are already moving to consolidate ownership. Forgive me if I sound like I am beating a dead horse, but I feel this is important: there can be no free press if that press is monopolized. Just as there is no real competition in the OS market because Microsoft controls 95% and dictates to everyone what they must do, so will it be with the media.

We own the airwaves, but politicians run it, and they’ve been bought. And the media, which buried the story except for a brief flurry the weekend before the closed-door FCC sessions (when it was too late), has again started burying the story. Only those who read carefully through business sections or search deliberately for the story will find it. What stories are appearing downplay the damage done, suggesting that Congress will be watchdog to untoward media sales (har!) and There’s Nothing Really to Worry About.

We’ve just lost a very important battle for our freedoms, which are based upon the free and fair dissemination of knowledge–and, ironically, because we are already deprived of said dissemination to the degree we are, most people are not even aware of it.

[exit public gloom mode]

A current (10 minutes ago) photo of Mocha, hamster of the house. She is currently happily rolling around in her hamster ball.

Below: earlier in the day, poking her head out to see if the coast is clear.

Remember how, back when Windows 98 was released, there was a big scandal about how Microsoft integrated browser technology into the OS itself, making it difficult if not impossible for Netscape and other browsers to compete? Remember how MS was forced to leave Internet Explorer as a stand-alone app? Remember how Microsoft was on the verge of being brought to a well-deserved justice when, at the last minute, Bush was elected and had the courts do a 180-degree reverse on the issue with the brakes on full?

Well, here’s the latest chapter: IE will no longer be a stand-alone app, according to this CNet News.com article.

Immediately after paying off AOL, the present owners of Netscape, three quarters of a billion dollars and other considerations to effectively shut up about MS’s monopolistic practices, and after starting a campaign of aggressive pricing aimed to cripple any chance of Linux getting any market share and edge out new open-source version of Office Suites, MS now announces its next step in its plan to further dominate and monopolize the market.

What’s it to you? Aside from broken competition and major price hikes down the road, you might also find that this will help implement Palladium, and Microsoft will have a private key that will let them into your computer and be your own personal cybercop. Sounds nifty, right?

The beta version of Eudora 6 is now available for download. The major revision in this version, as one might expect with the recent trend in email clients, is a spam filter. Apple’s Mail app probably took a big chunk of the Eudora market for the Mac, and other Windows apps may very well be doing the same.

Eudora’s response so far seems a fairly good one. I had been waiting for Mail to become more feature-rich, and then switch to them full-time, but if Eudora’s spam filter works well, I’ll stay with them. And so far, after a bit less than a week, it’s been doing well–the filter seems well-trained, and is doing a good job of sorting. Time will tell on that, though.

For the Mac, a new mailbox drawer will pop out the side of any mailbox window, allowing you to easily select a different mailbox for that window to display. It is a lot easier than going up to the menu bar all the time, and deal with multiple windows. They also say that something called “Content Concentrator will be available for both Mac and PC versions, and a format painter will be available for the Windows version.

Eudora has always been a very strong email client, flexible, good interface, very configurable. The down side is that in the past, the address book and filters have been a bit buggy for me. Let’s hope those have been improved some. Also, as with prior Eudora betas, this one has an extended settings control panel, with lots of extra controls you don’t get in their standard releases. I wish they kept the longer list, but hey…

Eudora comes in free and paid modes. The main difference is that the free mode puts up a small ad window (140 x 150 pixels) that cannot be moved from the periphery of the main monitor. If you have a small, low-resolution monitor (like with the old clamshell iBooks), this may be too big to stand, but with a better monitor (like the 1280 x 854 monitor on my Powerbook), you get so you hardly even notice it.

OK, now I’m having a bit of fun… You may have noticed this page looks different than it did before. I’ve started looking more into what are called ‘stylesheets.’

Stylesheets are a way to format web pages so that certain things always appear in a certain way, to give the page, and the site, a more standardized look. Stylesheets are different files from the web pages themselves.

For example, you might create a stylesheet, and inside it you define a category to be “articleheader”; you can give that definition certain formatting, including text size, color and style; background color, border, underlines, link colors, margins, indents, etc. Then, when you make a web page and you want all of those styles to apply to something you’ve just typed, all you have to do is refer to “articleheader” and the stylesheet is referenced for the formatting information.

Movable Type, which is the software that controls this blog, has a standard style sheet, which you can then play with, changing all sorts of attributes. So I made wider side margins, colored the backgrounds, shrunk and centered the calendar, indented the entry text, changed the links’ hover-color, so on and so on.

If you’re interested in looking at a style sheet tutorial, visit WebMonkey’s guide. It’s always fun to figure out yet another layer of doing stuff on the web.

One last note in this recent learning process: I found that my own blog’s RSS feed was not what I wanted it to be. At first, it would only display a short snippet, 40 words, with no formatting and no photos. By going into the Movable Type web interface, I found that under “Weblog Config,” if you clicked on “Preferences,” you could set the “number of words that should appear in an auto-generated excerpt.” I changed it to 400, and that allowed bigger excerpts, but it still allowed no line breaks, and no photos.

Kristen McQuillin to the rescue. I noted that her blog displayed quite nicely in NetNewsWire Lite, so I asked in the Japan Blogger’s Ring mailing list for help, and she responded immediately. What is needed is for the Movable Type RSS templates to be updated via the MT web page interface. She pointed to this site for instructions and links to the correct scripts, and this site to validate it. She also pointed me to this page on MT’s web site, which has a variety of updated templates for MT. Thanks, Kristen.

The question remains, will a complete and formatted RSS Feed work out? Even after a very short while, I have noted a big jump in bandwidth traffic on my site, and am fairly sure it is not due to more visitors–the increased RSS feed might be increasing the traffic in terms of KB downloaded, though maybe not visitors to the site. I am still way under my monthly traffic limit with my web host, but I will have to keep an eye out as time goes on as to how the increased RSS Feed affects things.