Mountains from Shiroyama at 5:10 in the morning.

The Wife at Karaoke

Picture of a maiko taken over Christmas break.

The sunset from Shiroyama.

Teachery Thoughts

The Bitter Baron and I had our second session of teaching enthusiastic junior high school kids at the university prep combination HS-JHS school across town today. It was a good ego day, and the sheer sparkle that some of those children possess is enough to keep me laughing all morning.

I met one group of new 一年生　(ichinensei -first years), who received my self-introduction quietly: "My name is ~. I am from America. I live in Minakuchi. I am a teacher at Minakuchi High School. Nice to meet you." Then they began to volunteer information in Japanese to the teacher (who I shall refer to as Mr. T) about what I had said. They got everything down, written again on the whiteboard, and... kept on going.

"Is there anything else?" asked Mr. T, and one boy shot his hand up with a grin, "Bijin da!" ("She's beautiful!") Not expecting that one, I laughed--"Oh, very good!!" gesturing that he had just won mock beaucoup points with me, when Mr. T turned and wrote 美人　(bijin) on the board. Then my laughter was quite self-conscious, I assure you. I opened the floor to questions.

A few hands went up. "What kind of food do you like?" (Everything.) "How old are you?" (25) And then that boy again, "What kind of guy is your type?" casting devilish glances at the unmarried Mr. T as laughter erupted around the room. I grinned back, "Someone who is tall," I showed a height about six inches taller than me, as the boys shouted their sympathy to the teacher, and then I finished them off with a, "and who is like my husband." Heh.

Later in the class, practicing giving our personal information, the same boy wanted to know what the English word for 天国 (tengoku : "Heaven.") and then 地獄(jigoku:"Hell.") Within a few moments I knew why, because he yelled at the top of his lungs, "I COME FROM HELL!!!"

Hell is making some interesting students these days.

A new sensation is sweeping the online community. Its name: Globulos. Here is what people are saying about it.

"It's like chess, for morons."
- The Bitter Baron

"It's startlingly hip, a frighteningly inventive look at the personal and social explorations of young people today. A real testament to our times."
- Roger Corman, film maker

"Charming and funny...mesmerizing...wonderful."
- USA Today

"Elegant, nicely crafted and insightful"
- The Times

Welcome to the Globulos multiplayer flash game

This is a picture I took during Ohanami. I'm really quite pleased with it.

More Letters from Hikone

Hello! I haven't seen you for a long time. I am a student at Hikone Girl's High School in Shiga. We have 28 girls of 17 and 18 years of age in our class. I like Movies. My favorite Movie is "24". Maybe we'll bump into each other again. Take care.

That postcard made me think of Monty Python's "Search for the Holy Grail," for some reason.

Good afternoon. How are you? I cheerfully spend. What did you do the G.W. I went a friend house to play. Good-by.

That one sounded familiar.

How do you do? I've been quite well these days. What are you doing cousecutive holidays? I sat out the movie with my friend.

I'm wondering which phrases they are getting from their book and which ones they're coming up with on their own.

I have one more batch, but I think I'll wait before putting them up.

I started reading an amusing book, Coin Locker Babies by Ryu Murakami. It suits me, kind of like the music I'm listening to right now: Timbre Hollow by Threnody Ensemble. You can grab a demo cut off of Epitonic.com, as well a lot of other cool music. You can even set up your own radio station. It's how I discovered another one of my favorite bands, Barcelona. They're very similar to the Rentals, though heavily computer oriented, but if you want to see how they relate to your favorite bands, make your way over to Musicplasma.

I read this article and thought to myself, what self-respecting post-apocalyptic character wouldn't want to know about getting chipped.
Barcelona nightclub chips customers | The Register

Letters From Hikone

The past couple of weeks I've been receiving postcards from some of the students I taught last year at Hikone Girls High School. The postcards are really sweet, and amusing to read, so for a bit I will put them up for you to read and enjoy. I was really touched to get them.

How are you? I haven't see you for some time. How do you spend GW [Golden Week]? I spent go shpping with my friends. Look forward to meeting you again.

Hell. My name is Mami Ito How are you? I have three cat. Do you like cat? Cat is very cute. See you. Bey Bey

Good afternoon How are you I cheerfully spend What did you do the G.W. I spent home. Goodby.

Good afternoon. How are you? Ho have you been? I go to school everyday in a good condition. Maybe we'll bump into eachother again. Goodlby.

They made my day. Hope you enjoyed them.

A lawsuit against Yahoo BB:
Mainichi Interactive - Top News

Thoughts

This post is going to be very brief. I had a really bizarre dream last night, and I am only now getting to the point of writing it down. Aku Ender, The Wife, and I were in a small, single-engine plane, over Tokyo, skydiving. I must have realized that we were going to be late for our plane to Kansai and didn't open my chute. I plunged into the ground creating a huge crater. I got up and dusted myself off and hopped onto the 737 flying from Narita to KIX. Go figure.

Thoughts
Busy Weekend
This weekend, starting with Thursday, has been quite enjoyable and interesting. I met a guy from Canada on Thursday. He was doing laundry in the coin laundry below our apartment building. He started speaking Japanese at me. I say, "at me," because he was speaking it so quickly. I blinked twice as I caught, "eigo daijobu ka?" Blah, it wasn't a great moment in Japanese speaking history for me, but I said, yes. The guy, from now on to be referred to as A. He's been living in Japan for thirteen years, had a Japanese wife, two kids. He had been living in Tokyo, but this is first time in the Kansai region. We talked for a bit, but he had to finish his laundry. Still, in the brief time we talked he seemed like a pretty cool guy.
Friday was Japanese class as usual. I've been making an effort to go out of my "comfort zone" and talk with people that aren't native English speakers during the tea break. Friday was very good in that way. I talked with Kim sensei, who is from Korea, and several Chinese guys who are here as trainees. I also talked with a Brazillian guy, who I have talked to before, but not at this level. We talked about where we wanted to travel, and friends, as well as some martial arts. He used to practice Kung Fu with a friend of his named Fletcher, when he was living in the States. Now he practices Jiujitsu in Konan. Even more interesting, he went to school with Vanderlei Silva. We were talking about how, when he fights, he is a very scary individual, but outside the ring, he is a really nice guy.
Saturday, I started my Shadowrun game. As a GM I felt that it went pretty well, but I'm not certain what my players felt. I'm running the game for a group of three which is different from everything else I've GM'd. I think it is pretty cool though, gives a lot more opportunity for roleplaying.
Sunday, The Wife and I went to the Japanese Class sports day. It was really quite enjoyable, despite initially not wanting to attend. We talked to a group of Vietnamese people that are working in Shigaraki. They said, "While we are working, we have fun, but at night, we are very bored." The Vietnamese were really friendly, and pretty crazy. It was fun. My volleyball team won. We then went out to eat at Mama's, a Japanese Italian place, with Nishida as well as K from Shigaraki and The Bitter Baron. After that, the Wife and I came home and I went to bed, while she typed out a post for the Hero Wars PBEM.

Security Thoughts
A couple of very interesting things happened over the weekend. I think the most interesting is the research at Brisbane University which found "a major flaw in wireless network technology that means hackers can bring down critical infrastructure in as little as five seconds¹. This is a flaw in the IEEE 802.11b standard. The beauty of it is the trivial nature of the attack. You can read the article here or the technical description of the problem on the AusCERT page here.
The other thing, which just recently occurred, Cisco's source code has been reportedly stolen. Some of the code has been released on unmentioned IRC channels. Read about that story here.

This summer I start a class on Computer Ethics and Law, which I am looking forward to. In regards to this, I've included some links to articles written by Bruce Schneier. The first talks about using the current system in place to reclaim civil liberties by requiring the use of surveillance to be accompanied by a warrant. It is an interesting article, and I think he has some very valid points. I don't suppose I would include it if I thought that it didn't have anything to say. The next article is about a pilot program installing undercover security personnel in airports looking for "suspicious behavior." I'll let you read it. He mentions several of the strong points, like reduction of false positives, but also weaknesses. You can find that here. The third article is about being a security consumer, as a nation. Essentially, the article asks the question, "Are we getting our money's worth out of our nation's security decisions?" You can read that at news.com.com. The last article is something to do for fun, in your spare time. Turn your disposal camera into a stun gun!

That's it for today. Later.

----------
1) "Students Warn of Hacking Threat," The Courier-Mail.

Thoughts

Guild Wars is a very pretty game, and if I felt I had more than 24 hours in a day, I would perhaps play it. My interests and priorities have drifted from computer games in general and more towards the discovery of covert channels and table-top roleplaying games. The overriding priority though is, "What would I be in a post-apocalyptic scenario?" I know I've posted on this before, but it haunts me like trying to live up to what their father expects haunts others. It is, to a large extent, how I measure my success. Hence, the reason I wish to be published in Phrack, a respected journal of online mischievity (I know it isn't a word, but I liked it, so I'm using it). Given my own measurement system of myself, I'm not entirely certain what it means when I say, "I am very pleased with my life." So gauge, "I am very pleased with my life," with "What would I be in a post-apocalyptic scenario?" Kind of weird.

Speaking of which, Nishida, The Wife, and I had a talk about pressure points. Seems she knows quite a few of them because she used to massage her husband quite a bit. I happen to know quite a few because they're good places to punch people, or grab them in an Eagle Claw and squeeze, then pull down hard, ripping tendons and muscles. The wife got to experience demonstrations of both Nishida's and my knowledge of the subject. I imagine she enjoyed the strong, but gentle pressure to my, "Oh Oh, there's another one here! A sword finger strike can easily puncture the skin there!" Well, I think that about does me. Martial Arts, Computers, Post-Apocalypse, and Roleplaying, yep, I think that about does it.

Thoughts

Yesterday I spent a large portion of my day battling my computer. If I won, it was a pyrrhic victory. I was able to drop the size of the winlogon.exe from 18,000K to 700K which was nice, but that was after far too much time.

In other news; I read an interesting article over at " Guardian Unlimited," about a new cheap way to get a hold of mp3s. It's called "All of MP3," and it is a Russian site for purchasing mp3s in a similar vein to iTunes or some such. There is a slight difference, instead of paying $.99 a song, you put down $10 for a gigabyte of songs. They also offer three different encoding levels so you can choose what quality of music you'd like to fill that gig with. I'd recommend checking it out. Seems pretty nifty.

The PBEM is starting up again after a couple weeks while I prepared for my exams. It is good to be writing again. I can't say that I'm very skilled at it, but it is something I enjoy. I'm also getting ready to run a new Shadowrun game. That should be interesting as well, and I'm looking forward to it.

That's it for now.

Thoughts

Wow, it has been a while since I've posted anything and the Bitter Baron is getting on my case, because I apparently provide him with a modicum of amusement. The past month has been exciting with the promise of more excitement in the near future.

Japan Stuff

The Wife and I spent a bit of time discussing our position here in Japan and how we feel we are not taking advantage of it. This has spurred an attempt to see Japan on a budget. We live so close to Kyoto, in particular, that we felt we should spend some time exploring, especially since we try to go to Kyoto every Sunday. It has not been a flurry of activity, but more like a subdued enjoyment of the whole experience. What I mean by that is: instead of the intense stress of a family vacation, where one's dad wishes to see the largest ball of twine or the geographical center of North America while everyone else stands around being bored, we've taken our time and enjoyed the company of each other as well as those friends that have come along with us. The Wife has done a bit more than I have in terms of wandering Kyoto, but that's fine with me.
Our friend and Japanese instructor Nishida took us to a restaurant called Hatsune. It specializes in Unagi, or eel. The food was divine, and we plan on taking all who visit us to partake in the eel that melts in your mouth and not in your hand. The restaurant is located in Seki, which is in Mie prefecture. A short jaunt down from Hatsune is a portion of the Tokaido Road which has been maintained in historical architecture and lack of electrical lines crowding the sky. We spent some time wandering the road and enjoying a beautiful spring day. Most fun.
Last week was Golden Week, thus The Wife had Monday through Wednesday free of work so we decided to relive some of our college days. We traveled to Shigaraki where R lives and met with D from Hikone and had a night of roleplaying and MST3K. In the morning we went to the Miho museum, which was most beautiful. The museum is located in the mountains around Shigaraki, immaculately designed, and run by a cult that worships beauty. The museum is a private collection of one of the members. After walking through the museum, which was small in comparison to some of the museums I've been to, and larger than some, like the museum of Aboriginal Art that The Wife and I went to on our honeymoon.
In June we have some friends returning to Japan and they are planning on visiting us, but we are planning on using the opportunity to visit them in Tokyo and spend some time there. Who knows what we'll do, maybe spend the nights sleeping in Saizerias and rubbing elbows with the JVR (Japanese Visual Rock) scene. I think it likely.
In July we have some more friends coming to visit us and they have an idea of what they want to do so that helps a lot. We're planning on staying at Koyasan, visiting Hiroshima again, spending some time around Kyoto and Nara as well. Visitors are a weird occurrence because they shake me out of the idea that I'm just living here and bring to mind the fact that it is merely temporary and that we, that is The Wife and I, live on a bizarre between resident and tourist.

School Stuff

Well, exams are over and I have about a month before I begin a class that I've been waiting for, Computer Ethics and Law. More importantly, the IIIA grant, that my professor applied for, came through, which means I'll be starting research during the summer. The research will cover my thesis and most likely be published, which will be most advantageous. Also advantageous is the fact that I will be getting paid for doing this. I'm giddy with excitement. I'd really like to have the paper published in "Phrack," but we'll see how it goes. I'm also talking to the heads of the program that I'm in to see if I can't finish off the degree in two years rather than three because I'd like to enter a PhD program upon leaving Japan. This is important if we end up attending a school in Europe, in which case it would be cheaper to fly straight there rather than heading home and then back out again. I'm looking at Edinburgh, and I've been in contact with the program there. I've also been talking with a friend here that is willing to help me to get a UK teaching certificate for Maths, since they are apparently lacking teachers for those subjects.

Other Stuff

We met R from Minakuchi's sister a week or so ago. She reminded me a lot of my own sister, young and full of energy. My own sister is currently teaching Math(s) in Chicago, but as she says, "If I don't have a serious relationship by this time next year, I'm joining the Peace Corps." To which I say, "'Tis a honourable and brave endeavour." Plus, it's great for paying for postgrad work. I've done some quick reading of a couple of "TRUE COMPUTER CRIME STORIES," Masters of Deception, by Michelle Slatalla and Joshua Quittner, and The Cuckoo's Egg, by Cliff Stoll. Both of the books were enjoyable as quick reads, and once I get my domain name I'll start posting some book reviews. Ummmmm, I think that's about it.