M@Blog

Interesting entry on development of one of the most used computer applications (Word), with an extra on the Asia-sphere, particularly Japan. Continue on down to the comments for a peek into Microsoft’s culture, especially this comment.

Walmart finally made it to Japan under a different name - Seiyu. Here’s the AP wire. Sad.
A massive single-floor store like the Super center is so unusual that benches had to be placed in some spots to accommodate Japanese who complained they needed a rest.
Odd - I always find myself walking more in this [...]

There’s still a life for disposable cameras. Very cool idea. Tried similar tactics at parties with amusing success. How many years before RFIDs and WiFi combine to make real-time moving “windows” to random locations?

An old article published back in 2001, but Ray Kurzweil writes on the Law of Accelerating Returns.
Within a few decades, machine intelligence will surpass human intelligence, leading to The Singularity — technological change so rapid and profound it represents a rupture in the fabric of human history.
(Courtesy of The Weekly Read)
Interesting stuff; reminds me of [...]

Gen posts on Jay Samit’s NYT profile. He gives no comment — here’s my two cents :)
I wonder how many top managers actually own an iPod; i wonder if Samit has one of his own. I get the impression not.
I think Jobs is right. Removable media won’t pick up in the states; [...]

Picked up this month’s MacPower, and opened up to a great picture of 1149 iMac’s at a computer lab in Tokyo University. Very impressive. Google images couldn’t find a pic yet, but someone will probably scan it in soon enough. Funny thing is, they’re all connected to a “Happy Hacking Keyboard Lite [...]

Sony’s Qualia line to debut in the U.S.
Good luck.

Two amusing sites for testing your creativity, courtesy of mefi:
Make your own Bush speech
Make your own Bush comic

From Mefi comes Penny Arcade Remixes. Cute and clever. Japanophiles may catch the nuances.

The Japanese government is at it again with their sneaky ways. Their most recent success has been making prices tax-included, which went into effect on April 1st. This means they can now raise sales taxes all they want w/o the general public getting full disclosure. Now, they want to restrict imports of copyrighted [...]