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Subject to Change

TechCrunch Japan’s translator, Nob Takahashi gave me his recent work titled “Subject to Change” last month, and I finished reading it after all.

Cover of "Subject to Change"

Terms like “user experience” and “customer experience” are frequently quoted in the book.

  • Marissa Mayer at Google has the title of “Vice President of Search Product and User Experience, it is translated to Japanese as 検索製品および利便性向上担当副社長 according to Google Japan’s website, which means Vice President in charge of usability improvement. Who turned user experience to usability improvement in the process of translation?

Because I started my carrier as a programmer, I cannot avoid myself to start thinking everything with technlogy/engineering oriented basis, but the book tells us:

Every company provides with a certain service in order to let its clients obtain user experience expected,

v

In order to realize the service, the company is creating a certain product,

v

And in order to create the product, the company is developing technologies.

I should see in my life more deeply what the book tells us.

One of the recommendations for your reading in the new year’s holiday season.

I just awared recently that actually I visited the office of Adaptive Path when I was in San Francisco last Spring.

http://digitalway.iza.ne.jp/blog/entry/554094#AdaptivePath

Brandon Shauer and David Verba, co-author of this book’s original, had a lecture at Google Headquarter, and I found its video on YouTube.

There’s a caption of “Google Confidential” at the top of the video, I wonder it is still ranked as a confidential, even on YouTube and it was uploaded probably by someone from Google.


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My Story Covering OpenWebAsia ’08 On The Web

I was so surprised that I could eat “Takoyaki” or grilled wheat cakes with octopus even in Korea.   (Takoyaki originates from Osaka where I was born and grew up.)

(People call it “Muno Pang” in Korean.   I’m against the view that this is a kind of “Pang” meaning bread, on behalf of all Osakan people.)

Muno Pang Street Stall in Seoul Muno Pang or Takoyaki

When I was in Seoul last October, I was too busy to go to restaurant for the dinner, “Muno Pang” was my dinner on the day before OpenWebAsia’s event was held.

(Eating Oden at street stall is excellent in this season’s Seoul.    Korean expression of Oden has same pronounciation with that of Japanese.)

My Story covering the event is now on the web.

If you prefer to read it, here is the link.  (Japanese) http://it.impressbm.co.jp/e/2008/12/24/373

Its realtime video report is also available here.


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Meeting Again Rudi Lumanto in Tokyo

It’s been long time since I met Rudi Lumanto previously.   He was working as an employee at my company in its early phase.

Rudi Lumanto and me in Shibuya

He quit the company several years ago, returned to his home in Indonesia, and founded a science venture named “Edwar Technology” with his friends.

Edwar Technology developed a device called “4D scanner”, which enables seeing through the object with tomographic technology, and they have been delivering scanners to the clients including Ohio State University and U.S. Department of Energy.

“4” of “4D (dimention)” comes from a feature of “realtimeness” besides three dimentional capturing feature, and the object to be captured requires no pause.

As my perspective of an average consumer, I think this technology enables security check without taking our belts and shoes off at the imigration office of Narita Airport, thus the check is possible even at the gate to aircraft.

All of four directors for the company hold doctoral degrees, and also all have experiences of studying here in Japan.   I think I will visit their office in Jakarta some day next year.

I wish their business will grow up more in the near future.


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Fake Democracy

Taking a late lunch at Mansei, a popular beef restaurant in Akihabara with a good view. Now is the time of year-end, I’m very busy for greeting to our clients, which is one of Japanese seasonal business custom.

The view from here is changing. What happend here this year — Laox’s “The Computer Kan” was closed, Sofmap (PC chain store) was acquired by Bic Camera (electric appliances chain stores), Tsukumo Denki (Akihabara’s first PC chain store in the area’s history) bankrupted, and terrible and awful murder case happened on Chuo-Odori St. running in the area.

I heard that Kazuhiko Nishi would found a new university here jointly with Bill Gates.

View from Mansei

Well, after the sun set, as usual every yearend, Dr. Yasuki Hamano, Professor at Tokyo University Graduate School sum up this year’s events in this industry, which is this year’s final edition of Digicon Salon event at Digital Hollywood University Graduate School here in Akihabara.

He authored a book titled “Fake Democracy” recently, and it has been released by Kadokawa Publishing.

Cover of Fake Democracy 

 

Hamano's Autograph on His Book
 

Should we call it a reflection of Pax Americana? Has Japanese entertainment business been made up by the United States after the World War II?

He unveiled some interesting but awful stories at Digicon Salon, which were not written in the book due to various reasons.

Every fact in the history is sometimes made up intentionally by someone who rules the country at that time.

He authored this in order to record every fact correctly for future generations.

I will enjoy reading it in the year-end holidays.


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My Story Covering TC50 On The Web

I contributed the on-site report of TechCrunch50 to paper-printed version of “IT Leaders” magazine, it’s now on web version.   (Every month it seems web version is available one-month after paper-printed version is published.)

Already three months passed since the event.

If you’re interested in reading the story, here it is (click the image below).

TC50 Press Coverage Page

Then I was taken in the picture embedded on the column of Ms. Satomi Ichimura, who is a translator for TechCrunch Japanese.   (The man wearing a white jacket on the upper-left corner is me)

Source:  http://business.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/tech/20080926/171827/


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Celebrate the 1st Anniversary of Asiajin

An English tech blog reporting web business from Japan to all around the world, “Asiajin” celebrates its 1st anniversary.  The blog was originally founded by Akky Akimoto and Shunichi Arai, I also sometimes contrubute some stories since last fall.

http://itpro.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/NEWS/20081215/321445/
http://markezine.jp/article/detail/6111

Congratulations!

Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing other authors and drinking together to cerebrate, rather than just to congratulate.

I cannot write a lot in these days to blogs and magazines, but I will be able to do that and travel the world more next year because my current job takes a while at the end of this year.

Le Web was held in Paris last week, honestly I booked air and accomodation, and also I got an invitation from the event’s host Loic Le Meur, but I couldn’t go there and attend.

Hmmm, my absence from Tokyo for a week might be flown upon.    I’m not unskillful to handle this.

By the way, WiFi condition at Le Web was not so good as last fall event of Tech Crunch, they seems so up in arms.


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Notice: Dave McClure’s Seminar to be held on Dec. 19th

I got an e-mail announcing an event from Andrew Shuttleworth or tokyo2point0’s organizer.

He hosts a seminar in Shibuya for those who are interested in launching tech start-up.   Dave McClure, who is an advisor for several web2.0 start-ups and an angel investor at Founders Fund, will have a lecture there.

http://www.tokyo2point0.net/events/startup-metrics-revolution

Simultaneous interpretation to Japanese available.   Admission fee is 10,000 yen.

Unfortunately I cannot be there to listen in, because I’m drawing at a work in the year-end.

I get e-mails from many U.S. entrepreneuers, they say unanimously:

   “We should launch start-up and start business in such a downturn time indeed.”

Even U.S. big three autos are getting harder to survive in these days, however, anyone who starts something new would be admired in any day.

Defeat recession, and I wish more Internet start-ups would be born in 2009 as well.


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Internet Invades TV Industry’s Business?

Terror attacked Mumbai, and two Bangkok airports were closed due to occupation by anti-government protesters.

Thailand is a heart-warming Buddhism country, even if whatever happens, the king can resolve whole things finally.   I’m concerned about the situation in India rather than that in Thailand.

CNN International has arranged a-week-long special coverage of Indian business this week, their correspondent Andrew Stevens would have live reports from Mumbai, but its programming and staffs has been entirely turned to those for terrorism reporting.

There are some influential media companies in India, one of them is “Network 18”, they’re operating a news channel “CNN-IBN” jointly with CNN.

Temporarily CNN-IBN’s TV feed is now available on “Live Station”, an Internet streaming service venture headqurtered in UK, even CNN international uses live pictures brought by Live Station, and also reporting the situation with satellite images provided by Google Earth and discussion with some bloggers living in Mumbai.

Even now here in Japan, there is a boundary between “broadcasting” and “telecommunication” in terms of legal perspective, but I think this week’s terror reporting by CNN is a case that Internet agressively invades TV business.

Streaming service provider “Live Station” does only re-transmit TV news feeds for Internet connection as far as I see, I’m very interested in how they make money from their business.

I found Om Mark from his tech blog “GigaOM” features an interview of Live Station’s CEO.

I watch CNN-IBN every night.   I’m getting used to listen to dialects in Indian English.

Just like big changes happening in science technologies when we face energy crisis,
every time war and terror-related big news is coming up, news medium change their forms and appearances.

It’s a cynical fact.


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Dinner with Jason Calacanis and Influensive Bloggers

Founder of human powered search engine “Mahalo”, and also co-founder of Tech Crunch 50, Jason Calacanis is now in Tokyo, I was invited to his dinner party.

Mr. Umihiko Namekawa and Mr. Nobuo Takahashi, translators of TechCrunch Japanese Edition,
Dan Kogai, a well-known blogger as well as former CTO of Livedoor,
Mr. Motohiko Tokuriki from Agile Media Network,
Masato Kogure authoring famous blog “Netaful”, Mr. Masaki Ishitani from blog “Mitaimon”,
and Mr. Serkan Toto, Tech Crunch writer.

Everyone is witnessed often on the blogosphere.

I’ve posted several stories to Asiajin, I saw its organizer Akky Akimoto there for the first time.

One of TechCrunch translators, Takahashi-san gave me his brandnew book translated by him.

It was written by the founders of a San Francisco-based consulting firm “Adaptive Path”, and they’re famous as inventing the terms such as “Ajax” and “blog”.      I started reading it and I will post my comment on that later.

We did split the bill there, Kogai-san did not have enough amount of Japanse yen to pay, he looked so cheerful and paid in Euro instead.

Last weekend, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi-UFJ stopped their teller machines nationwide due to the maintenance for large-scale scheduled system migration, I was not able to withdraw my money from my account, it causes lacks of Japanese yen in my wallet as well.   Only U.S. Dollar and Korean Won left.


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The New Context Conference 2008

Day 2, the New Context Conferenfce 2008, Ebisu, Tokyo.

I didn’t have enough time to attend the entire event despite it’s been held in my office’s neighbourhood.   I attended only the last session of the event.

It’s titled, “What’s the Next Big Thing?”

This phrase reminds me of the blog written by Don Dodge, Business Development Director for Microsoft Corporation.    I think I’m not only one who remember that with the name.

Almost all of the panels at the last session were entrepreneuers and venture capitalists coming from Silicon Valley, they concluded basically “everyone should go to Silicon Valley for start up somthing new without fearing failures.”

On the other hand, in terms of advertising reach to large number population, China and India are very attractive.   That’s one of the reason why Google starts developing Android cellphone platform.   I’ve been feeling the emerging growth of China even at these kind conferences in these days.

I’m finishing my write-up because I’m a little bit busy today to prepare for an in-company meeting tonight and for contributing to a magazine.

Finally, I appreciate organizing such a great conference and the hard work of Digital Garage and Mr. Joi Ito, although it’s hard time now for them because Digital Garage showed 2.4billion yen loss in the previous accounting period.

Web 2.0 Expo Tokyo has been canceled, maybe New Context Conference is this year’s last one of this kind conference in Japan.

Thank all who got things done.