Ippoippo

J-iPhone

Couple of things I found on the net.

First up is that it looks like DoCoMo (NTT) is lining up to get the iPhone in Japan. I have to admit, it will be interesting to see what kind of response it will get. DoCoMo is the largest mobile operator in Japan, but it’s been loosing a lot of ground to Au (KDDI). Au in particular have grown a lot, and overtook Vodafone (as they were known at the time) to take over as number 2 in Japan. Since then, Vodafone sold it’s Japanese operation, and since Softbank took over, they too have been growing all at DoCoMo’s expense.
So, in a way, the DoCoMo move on iPhone seems like a small act of desperation. Who knows?

We can’t confirm that we can’t confirm the identity of some flying objects

Ehhh??
The BBC explains….

Earlier, in response to a question from an opposition lawmaker, the Japanese government issued a statement saying it could not confirm any cases of UFOs.
But Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura later told reporters he believed they were “definitely” real.

Japan’s Food

An interesting little article on how Japan is only 39% Self-Sufficient in Food! (Britain is not that great either at 70%, but with room for improvement)

… and talking of aliens

I’m afraid to say that Dr. Who spin-off-series “Torchwood” is a guilty pleasure of mine. Sure, it’s daft… so daft you end up shouting at the TV… but it’s fun, and I like to spot various places in Cardiff where it get’s made and is set. Plus, I have the hots for ‘Toshiko‘. (SLAP!!!!!! Ouch, slapped by the missus there).
Well, hoooraaah… the new series starts next January here in the UK, on January 16th. BBC America have also been showing trailers for their release of it… looks great (yeah, I know trailers are meant to show the good bits).

At last… a Mac Version.

Still not as capable as the Windows one though, as you can’t save content, only stream it.

No… not a crazy person. A mentalist is one of these. I also happen to be reading a book written by one too… Derren Brown, who is quite well known here in the UK.

I have to admit, it’s quite a good book. Naturally, he doesn’t give away all the details of his ‘tricks of the trade’ but it’s a rather interesting read, especially the section where he pretty much debunks hypnotism. It actually feels like he’s debunking himself.

I’ve not finished the book yet, but today (on the train) just got started on the section about bad-science, religion etc. Basically, it’s a huge rant, and somewhat a bit of a mini-Dawkins ‘God Delusion‘. He discussion in there though appealed to the scientist in me. Have to admit though, did cause a fair bit of searching of the inner self etc etc. I realised that my preaching of Peak Oil theory is rather ‘religious’. I guess I better prove it then (or supply proof of it).

In other links I found on the net…
Climate change goal ‘unreachable’.

Japan - a signatory to Kyoto - should have cut by 6% but it has increased emissions by 7%.
Italy (+7.4%) and Spain (+59.8%) are missing their targets by a mile.

Whoops! Is that Spanish number a misprint… surely!!??!!

Living by the samurai sword: Devotees keep Japan’s cultural icon alive.

Bonenkai season hits Japan!

Japanese number 1 bloggers in the world

And finally… this weekend got OSX 10.5 Leopard installed on my Mac. No problems… works rather well at the moment. ‘Spotlight’ search technology on it is MUCH better than it was in Tiger (the previous release of OS X, 10.4).

かっこわるい！(Kakkowarui… “(adj) unattractive; ugly; unstylish; uncool”).

That’s what Yuko shouted when she saw the Japanese language version of Apple’s Guided Tour of Leopard.
She wasn’t talking about the computer software itself… but the presenter of the video.

Weird that… because I had a different response to the English language version. Rather than coming across as ‘uncool’, the presenter came across as ’smug bastard!’

That got me thinking. The Japanese image of Apple (relative to other PCs) is very different to the Western image of Apple (relative to the PC world). (Well, that’s how it appears to my western eyes)

Here in the West, Apple has this ‘cool, stylish’, ‘arty-farty’ (well to some anyway) image, but overpriced and smug.
In Japan, overpriced is something you cannot say about Mac and Apple kit. It’s seriously cheap over there. Perhaps this is because Apple is finding it harder to sell there than it does elsewhere in the main global markets (US and Europe).

In Japan, you conform! So, buying an Apple Mac seems rather ’sticking out like a sore thumb’.
But then, Apple doesn’t seem to have this ’style’ and ‘cool’ image either. So, in a rather contradictory way, they still seem geeky and uncool just like any other PC.