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Same sign?

Last week, I started teaching at a shogakko in Ashiya, the Beverly Hills of Osaka. It was a breath of fresh air, and once again my motivation has been jumpstarted after 6 months of losing momentum. A few weekends ago I went to scope out the neighborhood, and spent a whole Saturday skating around town. … Continue reading »

It looks like Mark is finally making his way back home, after traveling around southeast Asia for about two months. Check out his pictures (dude, it took you long enough to post them!) and read all about his odyssey at his blog. Well done Mark, and good luck back in the States.

I’m not sure how I stumbled upon this (I think I was doing a search on Kyushu), but it was a good short story. I really like short stories, like the ones by by Hemmingway (like the Nick Adams series), Louis L’Amour, Phillip K. Dick, William Gibson, or those by Roald Dahl. It’s amazing how … Continue reading »

You should read Bruce Sterling’s post on (a book about) the possible misuse of RFID chips. If you’ve been keeping up with RFID news, the new version of the American passport is slated to have one of these chips imbedded into it, and there has allegedly been little thought given to security issues that will … Continue reading »

This is going to be an awesome event! If you can make it to Namba on the October 16th (Sunday), come and join us. It’s going to be in Minatomachi by the river next to the radio station. If you want more information or directions to the place, let me know.

Sadistic he is, that guy…

It is only because my parent took us on trips up to Mammoth, along the California coast, and to places such as Yosemite and Kern County, that I grew up in the outdoors, among majestic evergreens and splashing about in streams and rivers. Southern California used to have a rich watershed that supported steelhead and … Continue reading »

I really enjoyed majoring in the Environmental Studies program at UCSB, but despite being well educated in environmental issues I find myself not living sustainably or making choices that really make a difference in the right way. It’s just too big of a pain in the ass to do, and there is no benefit from … Continue reading »

Every so often, I stumble onto really cool things, places, or experiences when I least expect to. I thought that I’d seen everything of interest around Juso within walking distance, but tonight my wanderings led me to some excellent blues music. Mishark and I were out exploring the neighborhood when we came upon the Howlin’ … Continue reading »