JAWing On – Life on Okinawa

Sunday October 2, 2005 [PC (2/365) LW (1/365) H (1/365) ]

October 2005 Total:
PC-partly cloudy (2/365)
W-windy (1/365) LW-light winds (1/365)
H-humid (1/365) SH-slightly humid (1/365)

This Year�s (June 3, 2005 – June 2, 2006) Total:
S-sunny (24/365) C-cloudy (31/365) PC-partly cloudy (67/365)
D-drizzle (6/365) R-rainy (4/365) SR-scattered rain showers (12/365)
W-windy (34/365) LW-light winds (66/365) VW-very windy (5/365)
H-humid (58/365) SH-slightly humid (62/365)

There is a report on CNN about a new coaster that signals a bartender when a beer mug is getting low on contents. I don’t know about other bars, but it isn’t uncommon for the patrons to move about through out the evening. That would make locating the depleted beverage holder difficult. Not only that, just because someone’s glass is emptying doesn’t necessarily mean they automatically want another beverage forced upon them. However, there are some promising possibilities for this product. Suppose the coasters were set into the tables. If each table had a small keg somewhere under it with an above table dispenser attached, and the coaster signaled the dispenser when a beverage was getting low, customers who did want to replenish their beverage could simply deposit a pre-purchased token into the dispenser and refill the container with a pre-specified quantity. This would help eliminate an unnecessary waste of time on the part of bartenders and waiters, as well as eliminate any waiting on the part of the patron.

With all the advances in modern technology, one has to wonder how long it will be before virtual tourism is a reality? I was watching ads on TV for ecotourism and the first thought that came to my mind was this isn’t a new thing but if hordes of people take these tours won’t that cause damage to the very environment that they are so eager to view? The same thing applies for the historic places such as the Parthenon. Literally millions of visitors trample over the grounds causing a wearing down and pollution that aids in the destruction of the very object of interest. In these cases wouldn’t it be better to be able to have the option of an all consuming interactive virtual tour?

Saturday October 1, 2005 [PC (1/365) W (1/365) SH (1/365) ]

October 2005 Total:
PC-partly cloudy (1/365)
W-windy (1/365)
SH-slightly humid (1/365)

This Year�s (June 3, 2005 – June 2, 2006) Total:
S-sunny (24/365) C-cloudy (31/365) PC-partly cloudy (66/365)
D-drizzle (6/365) R-rainy (4/365) SR-scattered rain showers (12/365)
W-windy (34/365) LW-light winds (65/365) VW-very windy (5/365)
H-humid (57/365) SH-slightly humid (62/365)

Well it looks like we are actually going to luck out with Longwang. It has changed directions in the past day towards Taiwan. Because of the monster storm I finally gained some experience with several applications. The first being Google Earth and the current hurricane overlay. On the other side of things, I became interested in what was available to the novice as far as star gazing. I was able to locate two very interesting applications. One is a space similation named Celestia. This is sort of like viewing the universe in your own space craft for newbies. The other program is SkyChartIII. Although this is not a new program, it is a great way for newbies to experience the constellations as viewed from Earth . (The same company also offers an application for more advanced astronomers.)

Friday September 30, 2005 [PC (25/365) SR (3/365) LW (16/365) SH (13/365) ]

September 2005 Total:
S-sunny (1/365) C-cloudy (3/365) PC-partly cloudy (25/365)
D-drizzle (2/365) SR-scattered rain showers (3/365)
W-windy (7/365) LW-light winds (16/365) VW-very windy (2/365)
H-humid (17/365) SH-slightly humid (13/365)

This Year�s (June 3, 2005 – June 2, 2006) Total:
S-sunny (24/365) C-cloudy (31/365) PC-partly cloudy (65/365)
D-drizzle (6/365) R-rainy (4/365) SR-scattered rain showers (12/365)
W-windy (33/365) LW-light winds (65/365) VW-very windy (5/365)
H-humid (57/365) SH-slightly humid (61/365)

Even in this world of more and more complex high tech gadgets, basics are needed. I didn’t even know that there was an international organization dedicated to the very serious business of what to do with our daily necessities.

Even in Japan we are limited by the redtape. This new electric socket broadband would be great for those of us who live here. But as with many things in Japan, the controls are so strict that it may end up being just another export.

I was looking at some of the various news stories; such as the self-building robots (which to me is a darn scary thought), hurricane zapping, and Google and Nasa joining forces (better maps on the way, maybe even Google Galaxy!!!); and I began to feel like my head was starting to spin from the speed of all the new technology. But then I saw this story on a technologically challenged mouse. And that’s when I realized that the world as we know it hasn’t disappeared yet, but it is under a massive transformation.