Sleepy

I have missed writing an entry, yesterday.

To be honest, I had several tasks to do immediately. Therefore, I woke up early in the morning to finish them.

And now, I am tired.

Ripple's challenge for Tokyo Olympics

Ripple, a significant cryptocurrency, is considered to be an official coin in Tokyo Olympics planned in 2020.

Bitcoininst.com: PETITION TO MAKE XRP THE OFFICIAL CRYPTOCURRENCY OF TOKYO 2020 OLYMPICS GARNERS 7,500 SIGNATURES

Cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin has several characteristics. One of the advantages is that the transaction fee is minimal. We have to pay the exchange cost to gain foreign currency. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are basically universal. Also, its transaction is decentralized. These features enable us to exchange cryptocurrency for lower cost.

Many foreigners will come to Tokyo to see the Olympic games. It is said that tourists had difficulty also in the transaction in Rio in 2016.

I believe that cryptocurrencies will not be available as a key currency for their high volatility. On the other hand, temporary possession and usage like a traveler's check can be feasible.

I hope cryptocurrency will be spread following the Tokyo Olympics.

Google respects copyright?

Recently, Google amended the function of its image search program.

According to the media, the result of the image search will show the information of copyright of each image Google detected.

Forbes: New Google Image Search Feature Will Please Photographers

So far, I have not seen particular copyright information. Instead, each image is followed by the description, "This image can be protected by copyright."

This policy is welcomed by creators such as photographers. They have been suffering from the lacked awareness about copyright of internet users. Their products were easily copied and reproduced. Fabrication is also frequently seen on the internet.

To begin with, the idea that the products on the internet are free is unfriendly to creators. They have been struggling to monetize their products since the internet is spread.

On the other hand, the internet giants such as Google and Facebook have different ideology. They tend to believe in the goodness of transparency. The ultimate goal of Google is to make everything searchable. Mark Zuckerburg commented that there is no privacy in the world.

The present policy change suggests Google considers to adhere to the recent demands in the society. But I do not think Google has abandoned the original vision.

Miskatonic University

I graduated from Miskatonic University. It's true.

Miskatonic University is a fictional facility in novels written by Howard Phillips Lovecraft. It is frequently mentioned in the media regarding Cthulhu Mythos.

Recently, a board game whose theme is Cthulhu was designed. The publisher called for funding via Kickstarter. Therefore, I participated in this project.

Miskatonic University: The Restricted Collection Board Game

As a reward, I could graduate from Miskatonic University.

Crowdfunding is friendly to making board games because limited enthusiasts are interested in each game. Many boardgames cannot be adopted as a domestic product by a big company. Catan and Monopoly are rare exceptions. On the other hand, using crowdfunding the creator can gather money to develop the game he or she would like to publish. And fans can encourage the creator directly with investment.

The only concern is whether the product will be delivered to me without any accident. I am looking forward to seeing Miskatonic University.

Dystopia with AI will never come

Currently, AI attracts public attention frequently. Some people dream the future in which we live comfortably with good robots. But others are fearful about dystopia.

The author of the article below seems to be the latter. Some risks of violating the human rights by AI are suggested. For example, AI will get rid of our creative jobs. Also, our freedom of speech is limited more strictly than AI in some nations.

The Conversation: Could an artificial intelligence be considered a person under the law?

Some famous people such as Eron Musk are also skeptical or negative to the future with AI. But, I do not support these ideas the author suggests.

First, the legal responsibility belongs to the human exclusively. Nobody is satisfied when an AI program is punished for the damage it inflicted to others.

Second, versatile AI is far from completion. For some decades, the subject of discussion will be limited to specific AI. Then, AI is a tool rather than our partner.

Third, some AI will be more intelligent to us, indeed. But, the structure of this issue is similar to animals than the human being. Even now, some animals are cleverer than some people with severe intellectual disability. Nonetheless, animals cannot be superior to humans. We should be equally respected regardless of our ability. AI need not be respected. The programmer should be.

For these reasons, I do not believe AI will threaten the human right.

On the other hand, we should be cautious about the usage of AI. AI is a good tool but can be destructive, like atomic weapons. Some legislation will be needed for controlling the usage not for controlling AI itself.

Four-day working experiment is successful in New Zealand

A New Zealander company made an innovational social experiment. In the company, Perpetual Guardian, four-day working was taken into the trial for two months.

'No downside': New Zealand firm adopts four-day week after successful trial

As a result, workers reported improved satisfaction and reduced stress level. They could consider life-work balance more deeply. The company deemed this experiment as entirely successful and plans to introduce it with broader level.

In general, the less work we have to, the more we are pleased. We want to enjoy our life. Work is not an absolute goal but a means to enjoy our life. As far as fully paid, we welcome reduced work time.

Therefore, what we should examine is not the satisfaction level of the employees, I believe. The quantity of products will be decreased when working hour is limited, even if productivity itself is improved. It is doubtful that the company will be able to keep total income with reduced work. It is possible that companies consisting of employees with long vacation will lose competitiveness, unfortunately.

Mechanization makes us free from manufactural tasks. Necessary labor to survive will be reduced to almost zero in the near future. But, it does not mean we will live without any work. Creating values is indispensable for earning money. And we need money for a better life, at least as far as capitalism is working. It takes a long time unless we become free from work.

What is communication skills?

Some people feel difficult to communicate with others.

Some of them are diagnosed as a developmental disorder because a lack of proper communication is a dominant feature of this category of disease. Of course, not all people with communication difficulty have autism.

Communication skills are hardly definable. There are several styles of communication. Some people take leadership in every situation. Others are good at listening to others.

Among them, communication skills are often recognized as the ability to report one's thought to others as well as understanding other's thought. Also, communication is sometimes identified as the skill of making a consensus.

 At least in Japan, however, I am against this idea.

Many Japanese are not good at discussing one thing in detail. A debate is one of the most difficult skills for Japanese. Not a few Japanese feel unhappy when entering a discussion. Rejecting a proposal is sometimes misunderstood as denying the presenter himself.

Thus, communication is not a negotiation in Japan.

Instead, communication skill means an ability to maintain relationships with persons who are not supportive of you. Japanese deemed with good communication skills look friendly and calm. But they are not always empathetic with your thought. Simply they make smile not to make you angry.

In my sense, some patients with developmental disorder misunderstand this fact. They tend to think knowing others deeply is necessary to make good communication. Such attitudes are often annoyed by Japanese people. As a result, they are rejected, which makes them isolated more.

I recommend you to make a smile with no particular intention if you would like to get along with Japanese. There is little need for understanding others to make a continuous relationship with them.

Relationship and preventive health: a study

You may have several old friends. And it may be beneficial for you not only in your pleasure but also for maintaining your health.

A new study conducted in the UK suggests that persons having many people with a close relationship are likely to be engaged in preventive health regularly.

Independent: Older people with more friends do better at preventive health

It has been repeatedly suggested that keeping a close relationship with some friends and families take a role to keep you healthy. The result of this study is consistent with previous ones.

However, this study seems not free from the possibility of reverse causality. Healthy people tend to be active for conversation. They frequently go out to make a new relationship with creative people. In contrast, people who are indifferent to their health might not be concerned with friends either.

Nonetheless, it is sure close relationships will help you when your health is in danger. The more you have friends and families, the more you may be sincere to your own health, perhaps. Your entity is not yours but respected by others.

Abe cabinet reshuffled

Abe administration reshuffled the members of the cabinet.

Asahi Shinbun: Abe picks 12 new members, one woman, in Cabinet reshuffle

Recently, Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, won the election for the chairperson of ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Following the triumph of the election, Abe decided to reshuffle the cabinet. As a result, 12 lawmakers took the seat of the cabinet for the first time.

To be honest, I do not expect Abe administration anymore. I respect Shinzo Abe himself. But he seems to be occupied to maintain the current position. Also, his ideology is getting gradually biased for these some years.

On the other hand, opposing parties cannot propose any effective policies. They only criticize the Abe administration's minor faults. I do not expect any politicians to improve our society.

JR cancel railway service due to typhoon

Yesterday, Japan was struck by another typhoon.

This storm was too big to be ignored as well as the previous one. Therefore, citizens and companies were prepared for the disaster. JR East, a dominant railway company, decided to make any evening trains out of service.

Asahi Shinbun: JR East, Tokai to cancel trains at night due to typhoon

Railways in Japan are famous for strict and precise administration. It is extremely rare for railway companies to cancel all timetable.

So far, Japanese people have been obsessive to perform their duty. It is a virtue of Japanese. But, excessive sense of responsibility often harms members of the community. So-called over adaptation is a characteristic of Japanese.

I got home early yesterday. Fortunately, I was not struck by the storm.