Archives for October, 2005

The iPod tax to hit Japan?

This news sucks. The IHT is reporting that:

Japan’s music industry . . . has asked the Japanese government to charge a royalty, to be added to the retail price of portable digital music players like Apple’s iPod, which has been explosively popular here. Money earned from the fee, likely to be 2 percent to 5 percent of the retail price, would go to recording companies, songwriters and artists as compensation for lost revenue from home copying.

There are enough angry geek rants floating around the Internet about recording industry reps saying stupid things (all these people listening to music is bad for business!) so I’ll just end this post with my wish for a new 80GB iPod to come out soon so I can buy it before the idiot tax is levied. My 30-gigger is full and the battery life is too short for comfort.

10/11/2005 | tech | 1 Comment

New trains

chuo_new_old.pngThe news says that the Chuo Line will be getting a facelift soon. Actually, more than a facelift: the cars in the new trains are updated versions of the ones they’re using on the Yamanote, with the TV screens over the doors showing ads and news and info on which station comes next.

These things will also come with all kinds of new tech to prevent malfunctions, according to the article. That should cut down on the number of days when I get to call the office to report that a train broke in Hachioji, so I have to sit in a train parked at Asagaya for another 30 minutes . . . Although it won’t do a thing about the number of days I call to report that somebody chose this morning to commit suicide by train wheels. Unless this new color scheme is so cheerful it convinces people not to jump. Here’s hoping.

The old trains have been that color since 1979, so they’re the only Chuo trains I’ve ever seen. These new ones will be fully in place in 2007.

10/06/2005 | life | 1 Comment

The Jeff Concert

Well, actually the group isn’t called “Jeff.” It’s “Antony and the Johnsons.” But Jeff is the bassist in it. He’s also a guy I went to school with in the 1970s and early 1980s . . . Some of the last memories I have of living in Oregon before leaving for Japan involve the Commodore 64 in his room and Jumpman. Oh, and sitting up on his roof until dawn, for some reason.

A and the Js played a show in San Francisco recently. The non-Peter Durfees all attended. Here they be:

Jeff & Durfs

10/06/2005 | friends | Comments Off