July 2007 Archives

Fukumimi writes about the recent Google Japan open house.

Even more disappointing than the fluffy presentations were the questions from the floor. The first guy up introduced himself as a marcom guy from MSFT who, in what I though was a fairly aggressive/pointed manner for a guest, asked something along the lines of “what do you (GOOG) think is the best marcom strategy?”. Which was answered (or not) with some typical fluff response which was equally unnoteworthy. And it pretty much went downhill from there. I think the questions asked showed GOOG that the people asking the questions were not GOOG material, so I guess the event served some purpose (maybe not for marcom, but rather for HR…). It also felt like some of the Googlers were getting a little bit defensive at some of the questions. Maybe they expected a load of fanboys who would gush praise and give them an ego boost. What they actually got were people who were either agnostic or even antagonistic. I guess the silent majority may have been fanboys, difficult to tell. There was a pretty edgy vibe in the room, I thought.

It was almost as if the Googlers couldn’t understand why the audience weren’t lapping up the kool-aid.

If they are as good at “innovating” and “learning from mistakes” as they claim to be, their humility should allow them to acknowledge that they have a huge amount of work to do in the marcom area in Japan, and they’ll learn from last night. Just plying guests with free food and booze does not guarantee a friendly audience.

Sounds like it didn't go quite as planned....

The difficult part is just starting. I'm skeptical that the DPJ can make effective use of this failure of the LDP- a failure that was from within, not from any effective attack from the DPJ.

Observing Japan: The results are in...

RConversation: Shi Tao's case: Yahoo! knew more than they claimed

I always enjoy Lenodd's mixes. This one is a stunner!

Slap Bass Odyssey

Mixed by Lenodd

July 2007

1) Solaris Heights – Solarism
2) Mavenelli Project – Bradford Jazz (Jims on his todd again mix)
3) Problem Kids – Feel Alright (Crazy Penis snacks mix)
4) Tiny Trendies – The sky is not crying (Swags sky high dub)
5) Crazy Penis – Do it good (Shaboom mix)
6) Kenny Dope – The Illout
7) Bebel Gilberto – Simplesmente (Cosmos mix)
8) Solaris Heights - Fusique
9) Recloose – Spelunking
10) Midjut Boys – Energy (Bass Fresh mix)
11) Azymuth – Carambola (Mark Pritchard mix)
12) Crazy Penis – You started something (Extended mix)
13) Global Communication – The Groove (Original mix)

I'm on vacation this week (July 23-27) in Japan at a conference help by the US-Japan Leadership Program. I'll try to blog a bit but can't make promises. I am reachable by email/IM as usual.

I've been enjoying this Gingersteve - Funk Me Harder mix a lot recently. Funk, breaks, house, garage, breaks, it's awesome!

01. Bebel Gilberto - Aganju (Latin Projekt Remix)
02. The Juju Orchestra feat Carolyn Leonhart & Terry Callier - What is Hip? (Mo Horizons Funk Restyle)
03. Mike Monday - Fun with a K
04. Flint - You Can't Find
05. Authist & Dub One! - Get on Upaaah!
06. Beatfanatic - Holdin'
07. Kraak & Smaak - Hello Big Mama
08. A Skills & Krafty Kuts - Tricka Technology Feat MC Islam (Ed Funk Vocal)
09. Mike Monday - Zum Zum
10. Beatfanatic - Boom Bangin'
11. DJ Regal - Rock The Funky Beat (Special 12)
12. All Good Funk Alliance - Super Jam (Flow Dynamics)
13. Spirit Catcher - Move Closer
14. Nitin Sawnhey - Eastern Eyes (Seiji Mix)
15. Groove Armada - Final Shakedown
16. Jak Jaxon - Put Your Funk Down
17. Tom Novy feat Michael Marshall - Your Body (Soul Avengers Remix)
18. Milton Jackson & Droido - Long Circuit
19. Krafty Kuts - Bring Back The Funk
20. Nitin Sawnhey - Sunset (MJ Cole Mix)
21. Mossa - Town Hall (Eloi Brunelle Remix)
22. Minos Pour Main Basse (Sur La Ville) - Le Patron Est Devenu Fou! (Zdar Wars Mix by Philippe Zdar)
23. Will White - Digital Funk

Awesomely geeky. One dude is wearing a Blogger t-shirt too.

Awesome, awesome, awesome!!!

Clay goes from the Ise Shrine to perl to software support (comp.lang.perl.misc) to AT&T to love.

"perl is a shinto shrine"

"you will make more accurate predictions about software, and in this web-driven world, about services, if you ask yourself not 'what's the business model' but 'do the people who like it take care of each other?' That turns out to be the better predictor of longevity."

"it does mean that the ability to aggregate non-financial motivations, to get people together outside of managerial culture and for reasons other than the profit motive, has received a huge comparative advantage. And it also means that many of the future commercial opportunities are going to be inextricably intertwined with that kind of work and those kind of groups."

"We have always loved one another. We're human, it's something we're good at. But up until recently, the radius and half-life of that affection has been quite limited. With love alone, you can get a birthday party together. Add coordinating tools and you can write an operating system. In the past we would do little things for love, but big things, big things required money. Now we can do big things for love."

Video: Clay Shirky on Love, Internet Style

My sister, Aya Kanai, is profiled at Worship Worthy,

"an all female-authored daily newsletter and lifestyle blogsite targeted toward women, featuring continuously updated news, images and analysis of New York’s hippest fashion, trends, events and products to tastemakers and fashion forward city dwellers."

I had to look up a word, "louboutins", that my sister used in her interview.

Wow. I can't make this stuff up.

On its Web site and in press reports, Stickam says that it is owned by Advanced Video Communications, or AVC, a three-year-old Los Angeles company that sells video conferencing and e-commerce services to businesses in Japan and other Asian countries.

But according to Alex Becker, a former vice president at Stickam, and internal company documents, Advanced Video Communications is managed and owned by Wataru Takahashi, a Japanese businessman who also owns and operates DTI Services, a vast network of Web sites offering live sex shows over Web cameras. Mr. Becker alleges that Stickam shares office space, employees and computer systems with the pornographic Web sites.

The sites, with names like DxLive, EXshot and JgirlParadise, use the same video technology as Stickam to link paying users with performers in one-on-one video chat sessions.

Mr. Becker recently left Stickam after four months there and said he was speaking out because the company was not doing enough to protect young users of its service.
...

Mr. Becker said he first learned of the extent of the pornography business last April, when Mr. Takahashi, who employees refer to as Mr. T, took him to dinner at a downtown sushi restaurant. Through translators he described some of his companies’ assets, which include at least 49 pornography sites, a pornographic film production company, nine restaurants in Japan and private planes, Mr. Becker said.

“I don’t think I discovered everything, but I learned more than enough to be able to say with certainty that they are not leaders in the video-conferencing business,” Mr. Becker said. “They are leaders in pushing porn via a Flash player and streaming porn from the United States to Japan.”

Mr. Becker said Mr. Takahashi told him that he had based his sites in the United States because of Japan’s restrictions on explicit nudity.

I would bet that this news would scuttle any future growth for stickam, but I've been proven wrong many times in the past.

Accuser Says Web Site Has X-Rated Link [nytimes.com]

Retro Cigarette Package35, originally uploaded by asobitsuchiya.

Don't like smoking but this package art for Peace cigarettes is very awesome.

Slate speaks with Sasha Issenberg and Trevor Corson, two writers who have recently published books on the topic of sushi. I knew that pickled fish was more tradtional and that fresh nigiri was a newer invention but I had no idea that the American occupation after the war had so much to do with the popularity of sushi in Japan. Also, it's important to note that there is essentially no testing done on sushi. One thing I've always wondered about is how doctors in the West tell their pregnant patients not to eat sushi during their pregnancy, but I have never heard of that being recommended in Japan.

I personally don't eat sushi that often as I treat it as a delicacy. Maybe once every 2 months? Maybe not even that often.

Robert Alan Feldman (Morgan Stanley) on the upcoming election in Japan.

Thus, the likely outcomes range from a slim victory to a large defeat for the LDP. How would policy change across this range of outcomes?

The implications depend on two factors. (a) First is the ‘Kobayakawa Factor’ — the incentive for the right-wing inside the DPJ to bolt, form its own party, and join the coalition. (At the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, a small force led by Hideaki Kobayakawa had pre-arranged to defect to the side of the Tokugawa forces during the course of the battle. After much dithering, Kobayakawa eventually kept his promise, and decisively turned the battle.) (b) The second is the ‘Macbeth Factor’. The worse the outcome for the LDP, the stronger is the likelihood of an anti-reform Macbeth toppling PM Abe. When such a possibility grows, there is an incentive for PM Abe to ‘go for broke’ by pushing economic reforms aggressively.
...
Thus, even if the coalition does retain its majority in the Upper House, the Abe government will be scared about the next Lower House election. This fear will likely tilt toward more aggressive economic reforms. If the LDP has a slim loss of majority, there will be a double incentive for more aggressive reform, from both the Kobayakawa Factor and the Macbeth Factor.

Mr. Abe’s Choice — Faster Reform, or Much Faster Reform

I am a big, big fan of Frank McGahon's house mixes. His new 3 part mix covers a lot more than house and sounds amazing- many of my favorite labels are represented: Far Out, Brownswood, Sonar Kollektiv, Nite Grooves, Ubiquity, Seasons, etc.

Frank McGahon: 07-07-04 Three Part Mix, July 07 Part 1
01. I Wanna Be Loved By You - Family Of Eve (Lotus Land) 1979
02. Primera - DJ Day (Subcontact) 2007
03. Los Conquistadores Chocolate - Johnny Hammond (Milestone) 1975
04. Estrada Dos Deuses (Recloose Re-Edit) - Azymuth (Far Out) 2007
05. Space Jam 2000.17 - Christian Prommers Drumlesson (Sonar Kollektiv) 2007
06. Second Chances - Theo Parrish (Sound Signature) 2007
07. The Basics (Smokin’ Posties Remix) - Danté & Dhula (IIWII Gallery) 2007
08. Love Is What Stays (Henrik Schwarz Remix) - Mark Murphy (Universal) 2007
09. Hang Around (Wahoo Remix) - Ben Westbeech (Brownswood) 2007
10. Lose (Henrik Schwarz Remix) - Patrick Blasa (Stereo Deluxe) 2007
11. Saona (Gilles Peterson Remix) - Noro Morales Quintet (Fania) 2007
12. Possibilities (Boddhi Satva’s Ancestral Dub Mix)- Alton Miller (R2) 2007
13. The African - 7 Samurai/Panoptikum (Gamm) 2007
14. Pacific State - Julius Papp (Nite Grooves) 2004
15. Feenin’ (LTJ Bukem Remix) - Jodeci (MCA) 1995

Frank McGahon: 07-07-04 Three Part Mix, July 07 Part 2
15. Feenin’ (LTJ Bukem Remix) - Jodeci (MCA) 1995
16. Knitevision - Photek (Science) 1998
17. Live Session - Universal (Looking Good) 1996
18. Solina - Jedi Knights (Evolution) 1996
19. I’ll Say A Prayer For You - Equation (Nu Groove) 1991
20. Wanderlust (Dub) - Joi Cardwell & Steal Vibe (Seasons Limited) 2007
21. Can’t Change Me (Ron Trent Dub)- N’Dambi (R2) 2007
22. Invasion - Atmosfear (Discfunction) 1981
23. Endless Dance (Karizma remix) - Markus Enochson (Sonar Kollektiv) 2007
24. The Bounce - Kenlou (MAW) 1995
25. Stuck In The Middle (Club Life Mix) - Dani’elle Gaha (Epic) 1992
26. Synthetic Flemm - Theo Parrish (Sound Signature) 2007
27. Shadows Of The Past - 10th Street Assembly (Black Sunshine) 1994
28. So Good Today (Yoruba Soul Mix) - Ben Westbeech (Brownswood) 2006

Frank McGahon: 07-07-04 Three Part Mix, July 07 Part 3
28. So Good Today (Yoruba Soul Mix) - Ben Westbeech (Brownswood) 2006
29. Hot (Danny Tenaglia’s Runway Dub) - Willie Ninja (Nervous) 1995
30. Look Into Yourself (Seiji Remix) - Global Soul (Bitasweet) 2003
31. Distractions (Bugz In The Attic mix) - Zero 7 (Ultimate Dilemma) 2002
32. Don’t Go - Unit 46 (People) 2000
33. Curious (Instrumental)- Sun, Sun, Sun (Strictly Rhythm) 1994
34. What Heart’s Share - Mpho Skeef (Genuine) 2007
35. Solitude - DJ Deep & Frank Rogers Feat. Panyard (City Deep) 2007
36. If I Don’t (Wookie Mix) - Amp Fiddler & Corrine Bailey Rae (Genuine) 2007
37. Earth 2 God (Mike Banks Remix) - Randolph (Still Music) 2007
38. Summertime (Instrumental) - Yam Who? (Papa) 2006
39. If You Wanna - Roy Davis Jr (Ubiquity) 2004
40. 6/8 Drums (Yoru-Pean Drumz Remix) - Eternal Sun (Talkin’ Loud) 2000
41. Erotic City - Prince & the Revolution (Warner Bros) 1984
42. Soul Freedom (Controm Remix) - Chico Mann (Kindred Spirits) 2007
43. Clubscene/Popscene (Prins Thomas Remix) - Hiem (Eskimo) 2007

Absolutely fascinating Metafilter post about Otokichi, or 山本 音吉 (Yamamoto Otokichi, later known as John Matthew Ottoson) which points to The Otokichi Story, a biography of a very unusual Japanese man.

Otokichi highlights & accomplishments at a glance

・ First Japanese in America (Preceded John Manjiro by 10 yrs and John [Joseph] Heco by 30 yrs)
・ First Japanese in Canada
・ Payload of Setoyaki represented first trade between U.S. and Japan
・ Inspiration for Commodore Perry (opened trade with Japan)
・ Probable inspiration for Ranald MacDonald (first American in Japan), from Astoria Oregon 1840s
・ First Japanese to gain British Citizenship
・ First trilingual in Japanese, English and Chinese
・ First Japanese in Royal British Navy
・ First Japanese Christian (Protestant Episcopalian)
・ Translated Bible of John into Japanese
・ Opened Nagasaki Port on behalf of the British Crown in 1854

It is the hopes of the authors that the individuality and sense of adventure shown by Otokichi - in the face of incredible challenges - will inspire a generation of Japanese to take their destiny into their own hands.

I'm not that surprised to find out that dramatic chipmunk (which is actually a prairie dog) is actually Japanese.

Washlet toilets are pretty common in Japan (perhaps not in public toilets, but most new homes and rental apartments have them installed.)

It's interesting to see how Toto is promoting the Washlet in the US. I actually think the site is very clean and easy to understand.