Sunday, January 28, 2018
Trump is willing to back to TPP
According to a Japanese journalist, the main reason of the US joining TPP is to control China. China has been violating the international business laws. If TPP is established, China has to adhere the rule of TPP. And the US will be able to modify China's act by setting the regulation of TPP, if it is a member. I am not sure this hypothesis is true.
Saturday, January 27, 2018
CoinCheck cracked
It was surprising that CoinCheck declared to be prepared for compensating all stolen coins. It means CC has much surplus money. It is good news not only for customers but also other investors to avoid further confusion regarding this incident.
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Extreme snow
Fortunately, I had no critical cases due to the snow disaster. On the other hand, it will snow again tomorrow. Good grief.
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Doomsday for Bitcoin
The price of Bitcoin is still falling after the day. Now its value has been halved compared to the highest.
Nobody knows what the proper price for Bitcoin is. Some people say that this January is the beginning of the end of Bitcoin, others disagree. In my opinion, it will take several years for Bitcoin to become trusted by many people with its stabilized price. But, I believe the day will come at last.
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Three golden rules for good sleep
Sleep is indispensable for maintaining our lives. However. there are lots of people suffering from insomnia. Nearly a half of people are said to have some kinds of sleep disturbance, according to new statistics.
Pubmed: Epidemiology of sleep and sleep disorders in The Netherlands.
In Japan, almost all patients with mental disorders complain problems regarding sleep. And psychiatrists are also eager to deal with this issue. As a result, however, shamefully massive sleeping pills are prescribed. In recent years, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare started to regulate the excessive use of benzodiazepines. But there are still many patients with benzodiazepine dependence.
There are three golden rules for good sleep applicable to all people. I was surprised to know many patients do not understand them when I have a series of the sessions with patients for clinical research.
1. Do not take a sleeping pill unless you cannot sleep
Many patients take pills regardless of their feeling. Regular use of benzodiazepine cause dependency quite easily.
Patients say they are anxious to have a difficulty to fall asleep. As a result, some patients take pills much before they go to bed. It is the worst usage of sleeping drugs.
You should not decide to take sleeping pills unless it is truly difficult to sleep. If you really have insomnia this night, you can take a pill, definitely.
2. Do not go to bed unless you feel sleepy
Many patients have a difficulty to fall asleep. For example, a patient goes to bed at 23, but he falls asleep at 25 at last. Then, he thinks that he should go to bed early. He goes to bed at 21, to fall asleep at 23.
It is a bad solution. Because he is not sleepy at 21, he stays on the bed without going to sleep. He often watches a smartphone or listens to loud music. These behaviors make his insomnia worse.
When you do not feel sleepy, you need not go to bed. It is a quite natural act as a human. You can spend time on the sofa with reading a book or writing diary. When you become bored, it is the time to go to bed.
3. Do not lay in daytime
Many patients with insomnia feel tired in the daytime. They often consider the sleeping time is too short to restore their health. Then, they sleep at noon.
But, it leads to worsened night sleep, undoubtedly. Our circadian rhythm is easily disguised by the nap. Although there is a hypothesis that taking siesta is good for life, I do not recommend patients with insomnia to take a nap in the daytime.
It should be noted that only laying down is harmful. Even if you are not aware, your brain takes sleep when you lay on the bed. When you feel exhausted, take a rest with sitting on a chair for less than fifteen minutes. It will not inhibit your night sleep, I ensure.
Pubmed: Epidemiology of sleep and sleep disorders in The Netherlands.
In Japan, almost all patients with mental disorders complain problems regarding sleep. And psychiatrists are also eager to deal with this issue. As a result, however, shamefully massive sleeping pills are prescribed. In recent years, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare started to regulate the excessive use of benzodiazepines. But there are still many patients with benzodiazepine dependence.
There are three golden rules for good sleep applicable to all people. I was surprised to know many patients do not understand them when I have a series of the sessions with patients for clinical research.
1. Do not take a sleeping pill unless you cannot sleep
Many patients take pills regardless of their feeling. Regular use of benzodiazepine cause dependency quite easily.
Patients say they are anxious to have a difficulty to fall asleep. As a result, some patients take pills much before they go to bed. It is the worst usage of sleeping drugs.
You should not decide to take sleeping pills unless it is truly difficult to sleep. If you really have insomnia this night, you can take a pill, definitely.
2. Do not go to bed unless you feel sleepy
Many patients have a difficulty to fall asleep. For example, a patient goes to bed at 23, but he falls asleep at 25 at last. Then, he thinks that he should go to bed early. He goes to bed at 21, to fall asleep at 23.
It is a bad solution. Because he is not sleepy at 21, he stays on the bed without going to sleep. He often watches a smartphone or listens to loud music. These behaviors make his insomnia worse.
When you do not feel sleepy, you need not go to bed. It is a quite natural act as a human. You can spend time on the sofa with reading a book or writing diary. When you become bored, it is the time to go to bed.
3. Do not lay in daytime
Many patients with insomnia feel tired in the daytime. They often consider the sleeping time is too short to restore their health. Then, they sleep at noon.
But, it leads to worsened night sleep, undoubtedly. Our circadian rhythm is easily disguised by the nap. Although there is a hypothesis that taking siesta is good for life, I do not recommend patients with insomnia to take a nap in the daytime.
It should be noted that only laying down is harmful. Even if you are not aware, your brain takes sleep when you lay on the bed. When you feel exhausted, take a rest with sitting on a chair for less than fifteen minutes. It will not inhibit your night sleep, I ensure.
Monday, January 29, 2018
AI can humiliate you
Whether the community with sophisticated AI is a utopia or dystopia is often discussed. Some people expect AI to replace any tasks they can hardly address, while others feel fearful about the future in which AI programs will rob their job completely.
Marc Benioff, the founder of Salesforce, suggested the third possibility in a business conference recently.
International Business Times: 'Einstein' AI won't take your job, but it will humiliate you in front of your boss
He denied the future in which AI takes over your jobs. Instead, he warned that you would be humiliated by AI on the job. He told an anecdote that an AI listener disagrees with his statement with entirely logical counter argument immediately after his presentation.
We feel shameful when being criticized, even if we are actually wrong. Admitting this fact, most bosses hesitate to deny an idea of an employee directly in front of many listeners. But AI will show no mercy to us in executing a silly idea we presented.
Then, what will happen? Our patience and open-mindedness will be tried in the AI era. Accepting any criticism as far as they are appropriate is necessary to improve the future not only in the business but also in ourselves. Confronting the AI, we should be good people as a human. And it is the humanity not replaced by AI.
Marc Benioff, the founder of Salesforce, suggested the third possibility in a business conference recently.
International Business Times: 'Einstein' AI won't take your job, but it will humiliate you in front of your boss
He denied the future in which AI takes over your jobs. Instead, he warned that you would be humiliated by AI on the job. He told an anecdote that an AI listener disagrees with his statement with entirely logical counter argument immediately after his presentation.
We feel shameful when being criticized, even if we are actually wrong. Admitting this fact, most bosses hesitate to deny an idea of an employee directly in front of many listeners. But AI will show no mercy to us in executing a silly idea we presented.
Then, what will happen? Our patience and open-mindedness will be tried in the AI era. Accepting any criticism as far as they are appropriate is necessary to improve the future not only in the business but also in ourselves. Confronting the AI, we should be good people as a human. And it is the humanity not replaced by AI.
Sunday, January 28, 2018
Trump is willing to back to TPP
Donald Trump, the US President, declared that the US would renegotiate with the members of TransPacific Partnership (TPP).
The US has withdrawn the membership of TPP as soon as Trump won the Presidential vote. He promised to take the executive order to drop out from TPP, deeming it as unworthy for the US.
Straitstimes.com: US open to new talks on TPP, says Trump
However, he seems to have changed the opinion. Or, he may recognize the situation has been changed.
If the US join the TPP, the whole fruit of this alliance will be increased. On the other hand, member nations will take more time to prepare for tough negotiation with the US.
Anyway, it is certain that Trump considers TPP is beneficial to the US. I hope his decision will also benefit the world as he says.
The US has withdrawn the membership of TPP as soon as Trump won the Presidential vote. He promised to take the executive order to drop out from TPP, deeming it as unworthy for the US.
Straitstimes.com: US open to new talks on TPP, says Trump
However, he seems to have changed the opinion. Or, he may recognize the situation has been changed.
If the US join the TPP, the whole fruit of this alliance will be increased. On the other hand, member nations will take more time to prepare for tough negotiation with the US.
Anyway, it is certain that Trump considers TPP is beneficial to the US. I hope his decision will also benefit the world as he says.
Saturday, January 27, 2018
CoinCheck cracked
CoinCheck, a famous cryptocurrency exchange, was attacked by an unknown cracker. It got stolen almost the whole stocked XEM. The amount of lost XEM reached 400 million USD.
Bloomberg.com: Coincheck Says It Lost Crypto Coins Valued at About $400 Million
The president of CoinCheck accepted an interview at midnight yesterday in Japan. He said someone transferred XEM stored in the exchange all at sudden. When he noticed the abnormal movement, the transaction seemed to have been completed. Therefore he stopped the function of the exchange, to investigate what had happened. It is quite likely a cracker illicitly conducted a transfer via compromising the system.
According to the report, CoinCheck had not adopted the reservation with cold wallets. The multi-signature technology was not working either. Thus, the security level of CoinCheck has not matched the standard. The president denied the issue of inadequate security. But his claim will not be accepted.
Whether the assets of the users will be compensated is uncertain. But it cannot be expectable, I am afraid. CoinCheck will not be able to avoid bankruptcy.
(1/28/2018) CoinCheck announced that it would compensate all of the lost currency with its own stock.
This incident is not due to the problem in XEM itself, or other cryptocurrencies. Instead, the security risk of exchange became apparent again after the case of Mt. Gox happened in 2014. In Japan, there had been rare cracking cases occurred in recent years.
It is not surprising that the price of XEM and other cryptocurrencies is falling. The confusion of the market will be continuous for a while.
Also, this kind of scandals is unavoidable in the process of spreading of newly developed technology. We have to be calm and observe the situation.
Bloomberg.com: Coincheck Says It Lost Crypto Coins Valued at About $400 Million
The president of CoinCheck accepted an interview at midnight yesterday in Japan. He said someone transferred XEM stored in the exchange all at sudden. When he noticed the abnormal movement, the transaction seemed to have been completed. Therefore he stopped the function of the exchange, to investigate what had happened. It is quite likely a cracker illicitly conducted a transfer via compromising the system.
According to the report, CoinCheck had not adopted the reservation with cold wallets. The multi-signature technology was not working either. Thus, the security level of CoinCheck has not matched the standard. The president denied the issue of inadequate security. But his claim will not be accepted.
Whether the assets of the users will be compensated is uncertain. But it cannot be expectable, I am afraid. CoinCheck will not be able to avoid bankruptcy.
(1/28/2018) CoinCheck announced that it would compensate all of the lost currency with its own stock.
This incident is not due to the problem in XEM itself, or other cryptocurrencies. Instead, the security risk of exchange became apparent again after the case of Mt. Gox happened in 2014. In Japan, there had been rare cracking cases occurred in recent years.
It is not surprising that the price of XEM and other cryptocurrencies is falling. The confusion of the market will be continuous for a while.
Also, this kind of scandals is unavoidable in the process of spreading of newly developed technology. We have to be calm and observe the situation.
Friday, January 26, 2018
Bitcoin is C+ while Ehterium B, according to Weiss
Weiss Ratings, an independent rating organization in the US, released the grades of dominant cryptocurrencies.
Weiss Ratings adopts five-leveled grade system from A to E, different from ordinary agencies using AAA to C. According to Weiss, Bitcoin was ranked as C+. It means Bitcoin deserves to be a subject of investment.
Surprisingly, Etherum (B) and Steem (B-) was graded superior to Bitcoin. Novacoin and SluS were graded as D.
It says that any cryptocurrencies are not safe and there is always a possibility of disgrace. Volatility seems to be the highest issue, as well as risk for cracking.
Bitcoin Magazine: Op-Ed: The Weiss Cryptocurrency Ratings Are Laughably Bad
It is interesting that Bitcoin as the basic cryptocurrency was inferior to Etherium. Etherium was developed to resolve some technical problem around Bitcoin. Weiss Ratings admitted the speed of updating and swiftness of transaction of Etherium.
It is amazing that cryptocurrencies were subjected to grading. It means that financial industry has officially identified cryptocurrency as a subject of investment. Some of them will perish, and others will survive the next age.
Weiss Ratings adopts five-leveled grade system from A to E, different from ordinary agencies using AAA to C. According to Weiss, Bitcoin was ranked as C+. It means Bitcoin deserves to be a subject of investment.
Surprisingly, Etherum (B) and Steem (B-) was graded superior to Bitcoin. Novacoin and SluS were graded as D.
It says that any cryptocurrencies are not safe and there is always a possibility of disgrace. Volatility seems to be the highest issue, as well as risk for cracking.
Bitcoin Magazine: Op-Ed: The Weiss Cryptocurrency Ratings Are Laughably Bad
It is interesting that Bitcoin as the basic cryptocurrency was inferior to Etherium. Etherium was developed to resolve some technical problem around Bitcoin. Weiss Ratings admitted the speed of updating and swiftness of transaction of Etherium.
It is amazing that cryptocurrencies were subjected to grading. It means that financial industry has officially identified cryptocurrency as a subject of investment. Some of them will perish, and others will survive the next age.
Thursday, January 25, 2018
Nasal spray of naloxone save you from gambling
A nasal spray might be helpful to let you resist the temptation of gambling.
A Finland research group launched a clinical trial to investigate the effect of a nasal spray containing naloxone. Naloxone is generally used as a counter against opiates overdose. As it inhibits dopamine production in the brain, it is also admitted as a treatment for gambling disorder.
The Guardian: Nasal spray aimed at tackling gambling addiction to be trialled in Finland
The effect of the medicine nasally absorbed emerges much quicker than oral medication. The researchers expect this spray is available as a rescue when the patient is attacked by a craving for gambling.
The researchers' hypothesis seems theoretically right. However, I am doubtful this project will be successful as they expected. The impulse of gambling may be so strong that the patients cannot wait for the effect of naloxone spray. Also, the effect of naloxone for eliminating the gambling motivation may be limited. In this kind of study, placebo effect will strongly emerge. Participants may be satisfied to absorb the placebo via nasal airway. It will lead to a decreased effect size of naloxone.
Gambling disorder is a complicated illness composed of biological factors and a vicious circle of the behavioral chain. It is good if a spray will cease the illness. But I think it is not feasible.
A Finland research group launched a clinical trial to investigate the effect of a nasal spray containing naloxone. Naloxone is generally used as a counter against opiates overdose. As it inhibits dopamine production in the brain, it is also admitted as a treatment for gambling disorder.
The Guardian: Nasal spray aimed at tackling gambling addiction to be trialled in Finland
The effect of the medicine nasally absorbed emerges much quicker than oral medication. The researchers expect this spray is available as a rescue when the patient is attacked by a craving for gambling.
The researchers' hypothesis seems theoretically right. However, I am doubtful this project will be successful as they expected. The impulse of gambling may be so strong that the patients cannot wait for the effect of naloxone spray. Also, the effect of naloxone for eliminating the gambling motivation may be limited. In this kind of study, placebo effect will strongly emerge. Participants may be satisfied to absorb the placebo via nasal airway. It will lead to a decreased effect size of naloxone.
Gambling disorder is a complicated illness composed of biological factors and a vicious circle of the behavioral chain. It is good if a spray will cease the illness. But I think it is not feasible.
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