Sequels in July 2016

I came home from Hogwarts. It was a splendid experience.

July 26, 2016
Mass murder case of challenged people in Sagamihara, Japan

The mass media pursued to report many important things of the suspect. I have no idea about this case itself. Japanese media sometimes lack adequate knowledge of law and psychiatry. Therefore, reported contents are sometimes biased.

Generally speaking, such a crime extremely rarely occurs. So, it is not so wise to reform the legislation to prevent this kind of offenses. It will lead to making excessively protective and rigid scheme.

On the other hand, I have an idea regarding the system of official involuntary hospitalization for patients with mental disorders. Currently, discharged patients are seldom supervised in the community. It results in opposite outcomes: early dropout from outpatient treatment and relapse of mental illnesses, and prolonged hospitalization because of the lack of guaranteed care after discharge. It would be better to consider to introduce supervised community treatment scheme for risky patients other than subjects of Medical Treatment and Supervision Act.


July 23, 2016
Pokemon Go fever

Nintendo said that the success of Pokemon Go would not have an impact on the whole profit of the company. After that, the stock of Nintendo rapidly fell.

I dare not to play Pokemon Go. But it is actually an amazing product.


July 22, 2016
Rio Olympic endangered by Russian doping issue

The International Olympic Committee decided not to ban totally Russian athletes who were deemed to have committed doping. It relieved not only Russia but also Brazil which is the host nation of the coming Olympic.

Reuters: Russia escapes IOC blanket ban for Rio


July 18, 2016
Failed coup in Turkey

The Turkey government is eager to eliminate the people relevant to the attempted coup. Thousands of people have been under detained. The president seems to have the idea to revive capital punishment. But, it means making Turkey impossible to join the EU. The situation is quite uncertain.


July 12, 2016
Bitcoin mining reward halved

The price of Bitcoin is rather stable. On the other hand, Ethereum, an another cryptocurrency, is recently focused. Ethereum classic was newly developed following the debate of hard folk solution of Ethereum after being cracked.

Visiting Universal Studio Japan for the first time

I visited Universal Studio Japan (USJ) today.

USJ is a theme park featuring Hollywood movies and other American stars such as Snoopy and Sesame Street. It was developed 15 years ago, located in Osaka.

USJ had been not so popular previously. But in recent years, it created some attractive amusement like Harry Potter's Wizarding World. In addition, some Japanese heroes such as Son-Goku in Dragon Ball, Luffy in One Piece are also subjected to the theme of some attractions. Now, it is quite famous as same as Tokyo Disney Land (TDL).

I enjoyed several rides and shows. Among them, Amazing Spiderman the Ride was supreme. In the attraction, you equip a 3D glasses and ride on a roller coaster. During the attraction, Spiderman appears to fight with the villains. You are nearly killed by fire, lightning, and falling from the top of a building. Spiderman saves you with his extraordinary power.

3D visions are effectively used everywhere in some attractions. In a certain show, a scene in the movie is combined with the real world. I was surprised to see the mixed reality.

Some rides were too fearful for me. And most facilities were crowded. Additional cost will need for smooth entry. I was a little tired, but completely enjoyed the day.

Does aspirin destroy your depression?

Clinical depression is now one of the deadliest diseases in the world.  It inflicts serious damage to of sufferers both regarding physical and financial status. WHO forecasts depression will be the second influential disease adversely to humanity in the next decade.

Therefore, several solutions are still developing to treat depression. There are many antidepressant drugs developed. Cognitive behavioral therapy is known to be effective in reducing its symptoms. Mindfulness-based stress management and behavior activation also seem beneficial.

As well, alternative medicine is sometimes considered. There is evidence suggesting the effect of sulforaphane, Ginkgo, and St John's Wart. The last is so widely accepted in clinician that participants of a clinical trial are prohibited to take it during the experimental treatment.

And now, aspirin is another candidate of antidepressant substance.

Sydney Morning Herald: Could an aspirin a day keep depression away?

The hypothesis that depression is an inflammatory reaction is still believed by some researchers. NSAIDs, including aspirin, can weaken inflammation in the whole body. Many people utilize aspirin for dealing with a headache, toothache, and fever.

Aspirin is also considered to have a preventing effect against dementia. The stem of this idea is the same, inflammatory hypothesis. Some observational studies support this idea.

However, aspirin can cause a serious adverse effect. Therefore, I do not recommend you to take aspirin for a long time without deliberate consideration.

In my impression, despite aspirin is a good drug, it is doubtful that it can cure depression. Many patients using aspirin are suffering from depression. Depression often causes a headache. So, they need an aspirin. And taking it seldom releases them from depression, unfortunately.

Theresa May as the Prime Minister of the UK

After shocking Brexit vote, David Cameron declared to resign the leader of the conservative party. Who would succeed his position had been issued for a couple of weeks.

It looked like a chaotic situation, from the view of a foreigner. Boris Johnson, the ex-Mayor of London and one of the politicians strongly claimed to vote for Brexit, was expected to be the successor of Cameron. But he committed not to have the intention to get the seat of the Prime Minister. As well, Nigel Farage, the leader of UK Independence Party, abandoned his position, saying that his goal had been achieved. Previously, politicians belonging to Brexit had claimed that the UK would gain much profit if it leaves the EU. But their idea was proven not to be correct. The pound fell immediately after the result of the referendum was determined. Roughly speaking, the Britain lost its domestic value by ten percent due to Brexit decision.

Experss: EU referendum 2016: How has Brexit affected the pound?

After all, Theresa May seated the Prime Minister of the UK. She has been one of the main members of the conservative party. She was on the side of remaining, but partially accepted the Brexit ideology.

As soon as taking the seat, she showed the leadership to reform the cabinet. George Osborne, the ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer and expected to be the successor of Cameron, and other some remarkable persons were expelled from the new cabinet members. Instead, May inducted Boris Johnson to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. He will be responsible for the negotiation with the EU about the condition of Brexit.

May is the second female Prime Minister in the history of the UK. The first person is Margaret Thatcher. Therefore, some people compare May to Thatcher. However, it seems not meaningful to be focused on the gender of Prime Minister.

The Guardian: Theresa May, Margaret Thatcher: spot the difference – and the sexism


Now, it seems May has several commitments to get along with the current volatile situation. She has promised to carry out Brexit adhering to the referendum, but it will be delayed until the preparative discussion is completed. Angela Merkel, Prime Minister of Germany, said to understand her idea. She has an ideology of austerity as well as other politicians of the conservative party but is not so aggressive as Osborne. She is considered to be a wise and deliberate person. Her proposals seem quite feasible.

I hope she can deal with the tough situation.

Hot tea is cool in summer, study says

Hot drinks will cool you down more effectively than cold drinks, according to recent studies.

It has been traditionally said that hot drinks are recommended in summer. In tropical areas, hot tea is consumed by many citizens. Also in Japan, some elder people are fond of drinking hot green tea even when it is hot.

Water is necessary for the human. But taking excessive water in a short term is rather harmful. It burdens the cardiovascular and urinary system. It can cause imbalanced blood mineral. In addition, cold beverages gets rid of energy from internal organs. Cooled stomach and intestine are hardly working adequately because some enzymes are properly activated at a certain temperature.

In contrast, warm drinks stimulate gastrointestinal tracts, to make more sweat. It leads to cool the whole body down. As a result of a clinical experiment, people drunk 50 centigrade water made sweat than 1.5 centigrade water by approximately 100ml. And sweating is the most effective way to cool the body for the human.

Mail Online: Why you should ditch that ice cream for a cup of tea: Hot drinks really DO cool us down in summer, experts reveal

Another study suggested that taking ice makes it harder for the body to reduce the heat. It seems quite controversial, but the work of heat receptors in the body explains this phenomenon.

These facts do not mean cold drinks should be avoided in hot circumstances. In a hot and moist field, ingestion of iced drink is beneficial. Dehydration is seriously risky in the hot environment.

Afterall, recommending hot tea in summer is no more superstition. I would like to try it this summer.

Mass murder case of challenged people in Sagamihara, Japan

In Sagamihara, a terrible mass murder case occurred on July 25, 2016.

It happened at a center for disabled people in Kanagawa prefecture, Japan. A man armed with a knife intruded into the facility, and stabbed many residents. As a result, at least 19 were killed, and many are still under hospitalization for treatment.

Mail Online: Japans reels from worst massacre since World War II after a knifeman hacks to death at least 19 people because he wanted 'to get rid of the disabled from this world'

The suspect committed the responsibility when visiting a police office after the act. He said that disabled people should be dead, according to the media. It is also reported that he sent a message to the official estate of the chairman of the lower house for requesting the system to give disabled people mercy killing.

The suspect was used to be an employee of this facility. This fact explains that he could enter the facility quickly. In general, such facilities in Japan equip no additional security service than other ordinary houses.

Unfortunately, this series of murder has marks of the largest number of victims as a crime committed by a person in Japan after the WWII. Pray for victims sincerely.

There is limited information about this case. So, I should be cautious to interpret the figure of this case. As a glance, the ideology of the suspect looks quite childish. It is sometimes annoying for care givers to take care of disable people. Some people believe that they are superior to disabled people and have a right to take prosperity. Obviously, this kind of ideology is absurd. If you have no disability, it means just you are lucky.

I wonder the suspect had never recognized this simple fact. Also, it is not easy to kill multiple persons based only on ideology. What brought him to such a merciless crimes? The past history of the suspect should be investigated in detail.

On the other hand, solid ideology is hardly distinguished from delusion. In Norway mass murder case, the defendant, who killed many immigrants following his biased idea, was deemed as responsible for the crime by the court.

The deliberate examination is needed. And again, his idelogy is completely wrong. I hope every people can get along with each other regardless of disabilities.

Yahoo! is bought by Verizon

Yahoo! will be bought by Verizon, according to the media.

Independent: Verizon 'agrees to buy Yahoo' for $5bn

Yahoo! is an IT company whose main content is an internet portal site. Yahoo was developed in 1995 and used to be a representative of internet portal a couple of decades ago. However, following the rise of Google and other companies, Yahoo!’s influence was gradually reduced. Nowadays, Yahoo! Itself uses Google’s search engine.

Marissa Mayer, the CEO of Yahoo! seated the current position in 2012, moving from vice president of Google. She was struggling to improve the financial management of Yahoo!. Finally, she agreed to sell Yahoo! for five billion USD to Verizon.

Verizon is a US telecommunication company. Some years ago, it bought America Online as well. It seems to intend to enhance video streaming services through utilizing Yahoo!’s technology.

In Japan, Yahoo! Japan has been a consolidated subsidiary of SoftBank. Yahoo! has no plan to drop Yahoo! Japan’s stock, currently. Thus, the influence of this deal on Yahoo! Japan will be limited.

In my experience, Yahoo!’s services look somehow outdated. In addition, the main program and interface of Yahoo! and Yahoo! Japan are also a little inconveniently structured. As a traditional company of the internet industry, Yahoo! has to be reborn.

Mayer has a rather conservative ideology, rare as a leader of an internet company. She abandoned flexible workstyle in Yahoo! soon after assumed office. It is unsure her thoughts were accepted by the employees.

Yahoo!’s rise and fall are somehow historic, considering that the history of the internet has been continuous only for some decades. The future of Google, Facebook, and Twitter is also unpredictable.

A fatal case of Initial 200 mg/day lamotrigine

Just recently, a sad incident was reported in medical practice.

Yahoo News: A lethal case of overdosing by 16 times in 2014 (in Japanese)

A 43-year-old woman was suffering from epilepsy due the recurrence of a brain tumor. She was planned to take an operation. Also, she had to take some anticonvulsant drugs to prevent seizure. The doctor prescribed lamotrigine, a common antiepileptic drug. But the dose was issued, according to the media.

Lamotrigine is an excellent drug not only for antiepileptic effect but also as a mood stabilizer. However, it has a serious risk of a rush. Different from other drugs, lamotrigine sometimes causes toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) or Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS, a milder form of TEN). This adverse reaction can be fatal. Therefore, medical practitioners should be extremely cautious of this onset and make maximum efforts of prevention.

Wikipedia: Lamotrigine

Wikipedia: Stevens-Johnson syndrome

For minimizing the risk of allergic reactions, the initial dose of lamotrigine is recommended to be 25 mg/day for adults. In the case taking valproate as another anticonvulsant, the regimen in which 25 mg of lamotrigine is taken every other day for initial two weeks is recommended.

However, the doctor in charge prescribed her 200mg/day of lamotrigine. The amount is regular daily dose considered to be effective. Thus, the doctor violated the guideline for quick efficacy of the medication.

As a result, the patient was attacked by TEN, to be fatal three weeks after taking lamotrigine.

The media reported that the patient had wished to attend an event shortly, so the doctor gave her a lot of drugs for successful suppression of seizure. The doctor claims that the patient accepted the risk of adverse effects in advance of taking lamotrigine. But the lawyer said she would not have taken the drug if she had been explained precisely about the fatal risk.

It is not certain an informed consent was done about the initial loading of lamotrigine. If so, in my opinion, the prescription of the doctor is inappropriate. There is rich evidence suggesting that taking a high dose of lamotrigine initially is hazardous. The doctor should have declined her request even if she really wanted to take lamotrigine with initial high dose.

On the other hand, the guideline is not entirely correct. There are numerous exceptions. It was possible that she would have been safe and had enjoyed the event without afraid of seizure. She might not be able to recognize the risk of fatality in spite of the explanation. And it could be difficult for the doctor to make her abandon attend the event. She was unlucky, actually.

Nonetheless, I would never give a patient lamotrigine in such a manner, regardless of the situation. And I believe the doctor is responsible for her death, if the media reports are exact. But it is not derived from the fact that the physician did not adhere to the guidelines. My judgment is originated from my personal sense that initial high dose of lamotrigine is quite risky. Many medical decisions rely on such feelings of the practitioner, in real.

Pokemon Go fever

On July 22, Pokemon Go, a new application powered by Nintendo was released in Japan. Just after the launch, many users in Japan became also indulged in searching pretty Pokemon anywhere. The stock price of Nintendo was doubled in recent weeks.

RT: Nintendo shares double since Pokémon Go release

Pokemon series are computer games originally developed by Nintendo. The first software was released on Gameboy two decades ago. The success of Pokemon was said to have entended the life of Gameboy as a game console. Many children were enthusiastic to remember the name of Pokemon. Several TV animations, manga, and movies were created. Nowadays, Pokemon represents Nintendo itself.

Users of Pokemon Go have to walk around the field in real to get some Pokemon. This game equips augmented reality. You can see Pokemon on the real ground through the screen of a smartphone with GPS. You can find rare Pokemon near an important building. McDonald’s Japan is collaborating with Pokemon Go, enabling users in McDonald’s store to get various Pokemon.

This kind of system is not utilized for the first time. Ingress, developed by a startup in Google, was launched in 2013. The players are to occupy some portals to expand your territory. Portals to be conquered are connected to buildings and monuments in the real field. Thus, the players have to walk around to seek the portal. The development of Pokemon Go was committed to Niantec, Inc, which became independent from Google after developing Ingress.

Wikipedia: Ingress (video game)

Thus, Pokemon Go is a fusion of a worldly famous character game and an innovative entertainment technology. Considering this fact, the success of Pokemon Go is quite understandable.

However, Nintendo had some new solutions to achieve this application. Previously, Nintendo was not willing to release Smartphone games. Many users of Nintendo games were children. Nintendo considered the players should be protected from any crimes and conflicts. Therefore, it had hesitated to develop games working on a smartphone. The other days, it dared not to add even chatting system on its games. However, recent infiltration of smartphone games made Nintendo change this ideology. The ex-president Iwata committed to participate in developing smartphone games some year ago.

My past entry: President Iwata of Nintendo passed away

My past entry: Kimishima succeeds Nintendo

Prioritizing the US rather than Japan in game releasing is a trend as well. The US has like three times as many populations compared to Japan. Japanese children are decreasing. It is common that some popular Japanese games are released in the US in advance. Sony has the same strategy.

Nintendo’s success is remarkable. It tells us that combination of two known elements can cause a miraculous effect. In addition, there are some strict strategies behind the notable success.

Rio Olympic endangered by Russian doping issue

Rio Olympic is planned to be held on August 5, 2016. But there are several concerns about the implementation of it. In addition to Zika virus and safety issues in Brazil, prohibited drug use of athletes has been focused.

My past entry: Frea of Zika spreading

Fortunately, Zika infection is no more threatning in Brazil now. Stadiums are nearly to be prepared. But, another issue is currently troublesome.

Just recently, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected Russia’s appeal against the ban of its athletes from Rio Olympic. A total of 68 Russian athletes were rejected. Furthermore, it is possible that all Russian athletes will be prohibited participating Rio Games.

Sydney Morning Herald: Court of Arbitration for Sport rejects Russian appeal against ban of 68 athletes

After World Anti-Doping Agency had revealed that doping had been highly spread in Russian athletes, the decision of banning Russian athletes from Olympic Games was forecasted. However, Russia is one of the nations which have grown up various numbers of athletes. If Russia is entirely excluded from Rio Games, the next Olympic would be quite boring.

In my opinion, the current regulation of doping is too strict for athletes. Several athletes cannot take medical treatment adequately when they get sick due to the fear of being deems as a violator. On the other hand, doping will inflict irreversible damage on athletes’ body and mind in the longitudinal view. Many young athletes are difficult to refuse taking pills recommended by the coach and other authorities. Therefore, proper regulation is required not only for fair competition but also for saving the life of athlete’s.

I hope scientifically valid rules should be adopted on this issue.　And I wish Rio Olympic will be successful.

Competition in school age

We sometimes compare ourselves to others. Occasionally we feel superior to a neighbor, and often jealous to another. Being competitive is inevitable, isn’t it? It is one of the substantial questions in human society.

Even if it is admitted, some people dislike making children act competitively. In school, pupils are encouraged to participate in sports and other competitive events. Some children seem not willing to defeat classmates.

The Guardian: So who says competition in the classroom is inevitable?

Alfie Kohn is one of the researchers who have a sceptic stance to the competitive way of education. He described in his book that we compete just because we were taught to do so. He also claims that contextual thought is essential in teaching place, criticizing presenting knowledge simply.

Wikipedia: Alfie Kohn

Indeed, competitive way of teaching is recently doubtfully argued. Traditionally, the competition was deemed as the most constructive way for maximizing performance. However, some recent studies suggested that people in competitive environment tended to be keen to be shortsighted, and they are never motivated to work in a longitudinal way. Instead, workers in corroborative atmosphere became honest, and achieved the best performance at last.

Acknowledging this fact, it seems no use to encourage competition excessively. However, human, as well as other mammals are very sensitive to be fair. A monkey in an experimental setting gets anger when he feels being discriminated rather than being simply abused. It suggests that we strongly expect we should be all equal. This equality never means that we hope to be equally treated finally, but equally, have a chance to be fairly treated. We tend to consider efforts should be rewarded.

Considering it, the absolute equality cannot be achieved. The history of many communist nations suggests the difficulty of providing equality. Therefore, I believe competition is inevitable in our society to some extent. In school, competition will raise children’s performance. The issue is competition itself is not the goal at all.

SoftBank gets ARM as the biggest acquisition ever in Japan

SoftBank committed to gain the whole stock of ARM Holdings, a UK-based chip maker. The total price will 24 billion GBP. If carried out, it will be the largest deal for a Japanese company.

The Wall Street Journal: SoftBank to Buy ARM Holdings for $32 Billion

ARM provides nearly 95% of the microprocessors of the smartphones all over the world. Masayoshi Son, the founding CEO of SofrBank believes this deal as a cheap purchase, considering that there will be much more electric devices around us.

Indeed, Internet of the Things (IoT) is one of the keywords to interpret modern society. We will be able to connect almost everything to the internet to get relevant information. It means astronomical numbers of microchips will be needed in the near future. Son's perspective seems realistic.

However, his decision is not accepted by stockholders. The stock price of SoftBank fell by 10%. Usually, such big deals are not fully welcomed by the market. When Softbank bought Vodaphone and Splint, similar falling occurred.

ITProPortal: SoftBank shares drop following ARM acquisition announcement

On the other hand, the UK government approved this deal. IT officially said that this deal suggests the UK deserves to be a good candidate for investment. After Brexit vote, the UK is losing international presence. If the UK is purged from the EU financial market, it will become difficult for the UK to gain foreign currency. The acquisition of ARM represented an open attitude of the UK for a foreign entrepreneur.

I am not sure Son's decision will be successful. Recently, Son canceled the planned retirement. Even he has an extraordinary sense of business, whether it will be long-lasting is uncertain. I expect SoftBank will grow more up to a world famous company.

Land price is falling in the UK due to Brexit?

Last year, I wrote some entries about the situation of London estate some times. The population of London is increasing partially due to immigrants, and the accommodation cost is rapidly rising. The land cost in the last year was raised by ten percent from the previous year. Thus, landowners have been the winner in London.

My past entry: Seeking house in London (3)

My past entry: Three things annoying me in UK

My past entry: Challenging environment of housing in the UK and Japan

My past entry: Poor door in flats in London

However, the rule of the game will be changed.

The whole house prices in the UK is slipping down in this June, according to Rightmove, a property website. Average prices for homes fell by 0.9%, while 0.8% risen in the previous month.

The price itself is even higher by 4.5% than the same period in the previous year. So, it is not sure if this change is significant. If so, it is likely due to the influence of Brexit.

International Business Times: House prices slip after Brexit vote, says Rightmove

I do not think that many people have abandoned to buy or rent accommodation because of the Brexit vote so far. But if the UK government present the schedule of Brexit, many potential buyers in foreign countries have to reconsider owning a room in the UK. Businesspersons and students have to abandon to live in London as well.

Actually, London accommodation is deadly expensive. I feel too many people, including me, lived in London. However, it does not mean the population of London should decline. A city in which many people are willing to be together is going to prosper. Will London continue to be such a city in the future?

Failed coup in Turkey

While the world was shaken by the news of the terror attack in Nice, an attempt of coup emerged in Turkey.

In this conflict, approximately 300 people were killed. The military force conquered the TV station to commit the rebellion. However, the military seemed not unified. Some of the commanders condemned the defiant action, and expected the failure of the coup.

Telegraph: Turkey coup against President Erdogan: everything we know on Monday

Finally, the riot side was defeated, and approximately 6,000 people were arrested by the police. Anti-authority powers seem to be completely attenuated. On the other hand, it suggests that Turkish military has become vulnerable because thousands of soldiers are under arrest.

The Washington Post: Turkey detains 6,000 in failed coup amid signs of chaos in the military

Turley is a NATO member, and has played an important role in the battle against ISIS. The US is eager to maintain a close relationship with Turkey for keeping the influence on the Middle East, while many Turkish people do not like the US. Due to this attempted coup, the US lost the access to Turkish airspace temporally. It will not affect the operation of the US against ISIS directly, but is no good for the both nations.

The Guardian: Pentagon loses Turkish airspace access crucial in airstrikes against Isis

This incident means weakened control of the President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He previously gained both domestic and international reputation. But in recent years, he was broadly criticized on his authoritative ways of political control. Some people blame him for responsible for deteriorated situation in the Middle East.

It is not sure this attempted coup will have an impact on Turkey. I am afraid conflicts in this region will make the situation more unstable.

Nice terror attack: Why France again?

On Bastille Day, a 31-year-old lorry driver believed to be Mohamed Lanhouaiej-Bouhlel, made a trample into passengers in Nice. He killed at least 84 people and injured more than 300. The victims included a dozen children.

The background of this terrible attack is still under investigation. The criminal is dead shot by the police. French government considered this incident as a terror attack at the beginning. Afterwards, Islamic State claimed the responsibility of this cruel act.

BBC: Nice attack: What we know about the Bastille Day killings

French President Francois Hollande ordered a three-month state of emergency, which was later extended to July 26, 2016.

I can imagine the deep grief of the victims and their families. Pray for the victims and never accept terrorists. By the way, I have to learn why France has been targeted to terrorism so frequently in these days.

One of the reason seems that France, especially Paris, is deemed as a beacon of liberty, according to Neil Fergus, chief executive of Intelligent Risks.

IS itself is becoming weakened, exposing the battle in Iraq. As it cannot keep a regular force, the members have to choose suicidal terrors all over the world instead. France is not an easy but important target for IS.

News.com.au: Why France has become the ‘epicentre’ of terror attacks in Europe

On the other hand, France has a complicated history of the relationship with the Middle East. The domestic Muslim community in France had been discriminated for a long time. Therefore, it is said that extremists recruit candidates of suicidal bombers in France’s prisons. In recent years, far-right-winded parties are expanding in France. They may inflict hatred of extremists.

TIME: Why France Has Become the Number One Target for Terror

If these factors influence the emergence of terror attacks, France will be continuously targeted by terrorists. The situation is quite serious.

The way to understand the concept of infinity

Infinity is one of complicated concept in modern mathematics. It has a unique character.

Infinity plus one is equal to infinity. Infinity times infinity is also infinity. These formula are hardly understandable.

How many times should you add one to one to reach infinity? The answer is impossible. You have to know that astronomical number is far different from infinity.

I have one metaphor to explain well the concept of infinity. It is an infinity of life.

Do you want to live eternally? Your answer may be various. I do not want to. If I gain an eternal life, I cannot die. Also, I cannot feel the beauty of life. People make efforts because of limited time. If I have endless time, I would never carry out something. I would think it will be done some day, and the day would never come.

Eternal life means that I cannot die eternally. It is no other than an eternal torture.

Wait? Do I want to die? Never! I do not want to die at all. If I can choose to continue to live or die immediately, I must select the former. When I reach 80 years old, my answer is the same. If I am 100 years old, the same.

So what? Whenever asked, I will never choose to die. But is it different from desiring an eternal life? In my sense, definitely different.

It is the difference between large amount and infinity. We cannot accept the concept of infinity, I guess, because of our mortality.

UK researchers and acadmism damaged by Brexit

There are many, many adverse influences of Brexit on the UK. As related to my concern, researchers in the UK are going to be purged from international studies in the EU.

The Guardian: UK scientists dropped from EU projects because of post-Brexit funding fears

Funding is an annoying issue for most researchers. Many academic studies need a considerable amount of money. Different from industrial activities, it is not guaranteed at all that a certain study will make a profit in the future. A few studies will be a nice investment, such as successful medical drugs, but others will consume time and money in vain.

Therefore, it is not easy for researchers to get the budget for their favorable studies. The government and some companies offer to fund for research. But most of them are so competitive that many researchers have to abandon to prove their hypothesis because of lack of money.

Previously, UK scientists can apply to EU fund as well as domestic ones. But it may be impossible if Brexit is established. There are many researchers other than British to be eager to win the fund.

Basically, scientists do their work from the global point of view. Many of them discuss their region of study with foreign researchers. While most popular academic journals are written in English, the nationality of the authors is very various from the US, Europe, to Asia and other countries. Recently, I frequently see studies from developing countries.

Considering the current situation, it is essential for many researchers to achieve international studies. Brexit will make British researchers difficult to gain funding opportunity in the EU, leading the decline in academic performance in the UK.

Furthermore, Brexit will do damage to administration of universities in the UK. K universities accept many students in the EU. They pay the tuition, which is one of the sources of income of the university. If EU students become difficult to enter a UK university because of Brexit, the financial status of the universities will be deteriorated. It is a nightmare for the UK, as a nation one of whose resources is intellectual property.

Japanese Emperor plans abdication

Japanese Emperor Akihito is reported to intend to abdicate his throne.

Japan is a nation of a constitutional sovereign. The Emperor reigns over the country, but he is just the symbol of Japan and the integration of Japanese society. The Emperor abandoned the administrative power of the government and the army of Japan following the end of WWII.

Thus, the Emperor takes a role in some national ceremonies. He admits the inauguration of Prime Minister, confer a decoration to people having contributed to Japan, and do other honorable works.

Akihiro seems to be concerned about his health, being afraid of incomplete devote. Therefore, he is planning to resign the seat of Emperor within some years.

BBC: Japanese Emperor Akihito 'plans to abdicate'

In the ancient era, many Japanese Emperor gave their status to his successor. Some of the ex-Emperors still possessed the political power after the abdication. However, since Meiji period (1868), no Emperors have withdrawn his throne during their ages. Actually, current Imperial Household Law suggests no rules about intentional abdication. Therefore, Akihiro's announcement will inflict an argument.

As a Japanese, I respect Akihiro's idea. It will be good for him to be relieved from busy work and take care of himself. Recently, Roman Pope also resigned alive.

Finger sucking makes you healthy?

Did you do finger sucking or nail biting in your childhood? If so, your mother maybe scolded you. These behaviors are deemed as impolite in many countries. Some physicians believe extended finger sucking in childhood causes disorganized teeth and some adverse effects in development.

Recently, a study was published regarding a positive effect of finger sucking. According to the authors, people who had finger sucking behavior are less likely to have allergic reactions.

Independent: Children who suck their thumb and bite their nails are less likely to get allergies, study finds

Some allergic reactions are associated with autoimmune diseases. Thus, our immune system attacks alien subjects when they invade our body. But some bacteria can live in our body without being attacked by the immune system. Why the difference occur? One possibility is immunotolerance. The immune system does not identify germs which are commonly found in the close environment.

In other words, the more our body is kept in a clean circumstance, the more allergic reaction emerges, theoretically. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that allergic reaction is more frequently seen in modern age compared to the past. The improvement of hygiene is one of the reasons of increased allergies, ironically.

In contrast, children who frequently suck their finger are exposed to germs, unintentionally. This act has an effect to make their immune system calm to ignore non-toxic bacteria, the authors guess.

Pediatrics: Thumb-Sucking, Nail-Biting, and Atopic Sensitization, Asthma, and Hay Fever

I am not sure this interesting hypothesis. And I do not recommend you to suck your finger if you are suffering from autoimmune disease.

On the other hand, there are some patients with autistic disorder who are fond of sucking fingers. The cause of the autistic disorder is still unknown. But it is said the prevalence rate of autistic disorder is rapidly increasing. It is highly likely that the age of parents is associated with the autistic disorder. Besides, the relationship between autistic disorder and autoimmune diseases is also discussed. Perhaps, some autistic patients unconsciously know that they have a risk for allergic reactions, and they suck their finger to protect themselves.

Bitcoin mining reward halved

Just recently, a memorial day for Bitcoin miners came. As it planned, mining reward for Bitcoin miners has halved.

ITProPortal: Bitcoin mining rewards just dropped by 50 per cent

Bitcoin is a crypt-currency. Everyone can possess Bitcoin in their digital wallet. When the transaction of Bitcoin is ordered, Bitcoin miners create and check the code of Blockchain in which all transaction processes are recorded. Examining Blockchain is a very tough task for a computer. Therefore, miners share the task, and they gain Bitcoin as a reward for calculating Blockchain.

This reward is programmed to be halved for every certain period. Finally, Bitcoin will no more be born. After that, people requesting transaction will pay the reward for miners.

Some people prospected that halving period would contribute to the increase of the value of Bitcoin. After the period, Bitcoin will become rare, meaning that its price will be doubled, theoretically.

However, the market seems to have predicted the increased value. For recent some days, the price of Bitcoin has been very stable. The most dramatic change in recent months was caused following Brexit vote.

Now, Bitcoin is gradually infiltrating in our society. It is still deemed as a geeks’ toy. On the other hand, Bitcoin is one of the most reliable currencies in some countries whose economy is very fragile.

In the near future, Bitcoin is expected to overcome the issue of scalability. It will enhance the value of Bitcoin much.

Regulating guns reduces mass shooting in Australia

While the US is shaken by the Orlando mass shooting case, Australia seems successful to abandon guns from the society.

In Australia, a major policy reform was conducted in 1996. The government established a new regulation of firearms, in which prohibited guns were subjected to mandatory buyback by the government. A total of 659,940 guns were purchased by the federal government from the owners at market price by 2001. The government retrieved firearms to destroy them.

The Guardian: Australia’s gun laws stopped mass shootings and reduced homicides, study finds

As a result, no mass shooting, defined as murder cases in which five or more people were victimized, has been reported since the regulation was enforced. Furthermore, homicides and suicides using firearms have been declining in a longitudinal trend, according to the authors.

JAMA: Association Between Gun Law Reforms and International Firearm Deaths in Australia, 1979-2013.

This study was conducted by Simon Chapman et al. JAMA is one of the most famous academic journals in the world. It means that the editor of JAMA considered that their study might have a great impact to the readers all over the world.

In this study, the number of suicide cases with firearms was reduced with statistical significance. But, the number of homicide was not. Homicide is rare compared to suicide in Australia. And people commit homicide may tend to gain firearms to ensure killing the target.

The author claims that there is no evidence suggesting people moved to alternative methods for suicides or homicides. It is not easy to prove that a person has canceled suicide or homicide because of the lack of a gun. He could seek another way of causing a fatality. In my impression, many people commit lethal cases based on very temporal rage or sense of despair. Therefore, extinction of firearms (and blades) can be possible to save your life.

The authors emphasized that scientific thought should be prioritized to ideology in policy making. On the other hand, they seem not believe this result will make a change on the US gun control policy because it will take a long time that evidence overcome fear and ideology in the US. In addition, National Rifle Association and relevant lobbyists have great power on policy makers in the US. If gun regulation is strengthened, many people working there will lose the job. I am not sure, but guess that there had been few domestic companies providing firearms in Australia.

In my opinion, there is a Nash’s equilibrium in the US regarding gun policy, as I wrote in the past. Thus, it is extremely difficult to ban firearms in a region many firearms have been spread. However, Australia achieved this tough task. I respect Australian politicians.

My past entry: Gun control and Nash equilibrium

By the way, in Japan, blades have been regulated since a decade ago. In addition to the previous regulation regarding samurai swords, people buying a knife with a long blade must present an ID to the shop. This amendment was conducted in accordance with some stabbing cases using a knife. I am not sure if this regulation has an impact on public safety. Furthermore, it is doubtful that someone is examining the effect of this policy making. Japanese also should learn about evidence.

Avast gains AVG, combining two internet security companies

Malware and cracking are still great threats for everyone using a computer. And there are many services provided in internet security industry. You can choose one, or some security software from many options.

Among them, two big companies offering internet security are going to be combined. Avast, a famous internet security company, founded in the Czech Republic, announced to buy AVG, which is also a popular internet security provider in Czechia, for 1.3 billion USD.

Avast

AVG

The acquisition has been accepted by the both companies. They will be merged in this autumn. They are willing to provide excellent services not limited to internet security but also on the Internet of the Things (IoT) region.

ITProPortal: Avast buys AVG for £1 billion

The both companies look sharing basic concepts. Consolidation itself will not be difficult. Avast has eliminated a strong competitor and took it into their part. However, it is not sure if this merger will contribute to the improvement of profit. Both Avast and AVG rely on advertisement model. Most consumers of Avast and AVG do not pay for their service. Avast will raise the fee for advertisement to compensate the expenditure of this move. It will make some companies withdraw the contract of advertisement.

On the other hand, it will be beneficial for users to utilize the new antivirus software which will be provided by Avast. Development of an internet security software is costly. Its effectiveness highly depends on the amount of data of violated cases. Heuristic analysis is commonly adopted in modern security software. It also needs big data to be sophisticated. Combining the information possessed by Avast and AVG will be useful for developing stronger antivirus solution.

Utilization of drones

Drones are going to become common, gradually but steadily. Amazon has almost utilized drone delivering. And you can get a drone via Amazon.com for less than 100 USD.

My past entry: Drone delivery comes true

So, what will happen? IS our future fantastic such as at Coruscant, as the capital of Galactic Republic in Star Wars, or dreadful that you will be chased by a killing machine as if in the scene of Oblivion?

My past entry: Oblivion: a real Sci-Fi movie

My past entry: Shadow of the Drones

As controlling drone is still underdeveloped technology, there are several ways of utilization of drones. Delivering objects to a distant area is a usage easy to imagine. But, it is doubtful regarding cost-effectiveness except among small isles. Trains and ships are more capable, and may be faster.

Military use is also feasible. Many nations are considering to introduce drones in their army. In the US, autopilot bombers have been working in the battlefield since several years ago. Spying a facility is another activity for drones. They are so small that they can take photos of the target from the very close position. It will enable to send the secretary information of the enemy in detail.

There are more examples described in the article below. Caring elder people is expected for drones as well as walking robots. Sports activities and entertainment will be one of the main fields for the drone to show their best performance. Drones are also good to investigate an area in which no human cannot survive. Finally, some drones will act as a patrol to catch rogue drones.

The Washington Post: Four unexpected ways people are using drones

To be honest, I am afraid that suicidal-bomber drone will be developed soon. You may create one with ease for a low cost. However, I do not believe Islamic extremists will utilize such grenade drone, because they believe who carried out a suicidal attack will be sent to the Promised Land in the afterlife.

On the other hand, drones will be personalized in the near future. You will possess a drone like a car or smartphone. And it will send you missing objects from somewhere as soon as you order. It will take a couple of decades, I guess. I expect the future with drones is peaceful and fruitful.

Sex selection drugs are risky: in India

Sex selection of fetus has been concerned for many parents for a long time. Some parents strongly want to get a boy rather girl for several reasons, such as make him the successor of the family. On the other hand, some mothers are fond of having a girl to enjoy a friendly talk with her later.

Each desire is understandable. However, there is no way to determine the sex of a new child artificially. If we could, it would cause an ethical issue.

Even a lack of sex selection method established, some parents are eager to seek one. They sometimes rely on alternative medicines. In India, this idea seems to have become a serious health concern.

In India, there remains a discriminative tradition in which women are to be despised. Therefore, most parents are keen to have male offspring. Some parents buy remedies which are believed to have the power to make a male fetus.

The Wall Street Journal: Folk Remedies for Sex Selection are Risky, Study Finds

The current situation regarding sex selection in India was reported by Sutapa Bandyopadhyay Neogi in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, an academic journal. The authors gathered several indigenous medicines available in India as drugs used for sex selection, to examine their components. As a result, two-thirds of them contained phytoestrogens, potentially harmful to the growth of the fetus. Thus, these kinds of the drug were biologically active, in terms of adverse effects, unfortunately.

Pubmed: Consumption of indigenous medicines by pregnant women in North India for selecting the sex of the foetus: what can it lead to?

Of course, no effective way to select the sex of a new-born baby has been detected. Instead, some academic articles mention the risk of this concept in the society. It will be possible to know the sex of the fetus much earlier. But we should be extremely cautious in utilizing this method, because it can be the cause of abortion in some situation.

Pubmed: Why parents should not be told the sex of their fetus.

The prenatal examination is often a subject of argument for its ethical dilemma. In real, some parents cannot take care of a child with the serious congenital disease. I understand their thought to consider abortion when they know the destiny of their fetus. In contrast, it will never be acceptable to kill a fetus only for its sex.

There is an easy way for the Indian government to make citizens stop seeking sex selection. The government should adopt an affirmative action. If parents get a considerable amount of money when they get a girl, they will be less likely to hesitate to have a girl. It will take a long time to extinct the discrimination against women in India. Rather, the introduction of affirmative action is reasonable, I think. The situation is similar to that in black people in the US.

Every culture should be respected as it exists to some extent. At the same time, we have to be aware of the global standard. Keeping a discriminative thought is not advantageous for everyone in longitudinal point of view. I expect the strong leadership of the Indian government.

Pasta makes you slim? Afraid not.

Pasta is one of staple foods in Western countries. It is loved especially by Italians. In Japan, spaghetti is very commonly consumed at lunch.

Pasta is made from grain, as well as bread. It contains much carbonate. Therefore, many believe eating pasta will make you fatty. However, an academic report against this idea was published recently.

Mail Online: Pasta DOESN'T make you fat - it actually helps weight loss, (Italian) researchers claim

In this study, 23,000 people living in Italy were asked what kind of food they take. Through analyzing the gathered data, the researchers investigated the relationship between the body proportion of the participants and their consumption of pasta. As a result, it seems that taking pasta is not associated with increased body weight. Rather it is likely enjoying pasta brings you lower waist circumference.

It looks an amazing outcome. This paper was published in Nutrition and Diabetes, an academic journal relevant to Nature. However, being not an exception of cross-sectional studies, this surprising result cannot apply to real.

In the article, participants were randomly selected from residents in a couple of certain regions. It is an appropriate way of a survey. In the participants, one-third of women and a half of men were overweight, and more than one-fourth in both genders were obese. This proportion may resemble the total population of Italy and other European countries, but may different from that in the US or Japan.

In a crude analysis, the obtained records suggested a positive association between pasta intake and body mass index. Thus, the more you take pasta, the more you are heavy. This result is quite usual.

However, the researchers considered that obese women participants could underestimate their energy intake, because the reported energy intake was lower in obese women. Therefore, the author elaborated the energy residuals methodology to estimate the real energy intake.

Nutrition and Diabetes: Association of pasta consumption with body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio: results from Moli-sani and INHES studies

I have no idea how the author adjusted the amount of energy the participants underreported. First of all, when participants are dishonest to record their diet, the outcome of analysis must not be trustworthy.

Also, the amount of pasta intake is questionable to influence the body proportion, as mentioned in the article above. Only 50g per day was consumed by the participants. I do not believe such small portion of pasta has an impact on body weight.

Other factors have not been described in this paper. The researchers must have examined many possibilities in this survey with such a large sample size. If there were no other decisive factors associate with body proportion, it suggests that any one-issue diets have no effect, ironically.

Balanced food and adequate exercise are essential to keep your body beautiful.

Suicides in Chinese officials

Recently, suicide cases in Chinese officials were focused.

According to the media, at least 28 government officials have committed suicide in this year. The record will be worse than the last year.

Some experts say that it is due to control against graft in China. In recent years, President Xi Jinping is enthusiastic to anti-corruption campaign. Many officials are arrested to be prosecuted for violating the legislation. It is said that graft in Chinese officials had been very common. Jinping considers this tradition as a quite serious problem, and he is willing to extinct inappropriate behaviors in government officials.

If an official is prosecuted, not only the person is sent to jail, but also their family members are to be inflicted serious disgrace. Considering the fearful future, some officials commit suicide before the investigation proceeds, according to the experts.

There are several reasons for suicide. The government says that they killed themselves because of depression. But, I think this hypothesis that officials, at least some of them, commit suicide to avoid to be prosecuted.

Hindustan Times: Wave of suicides by Chinese officials indicate impact of Xi’s anti-graft drive

On the other hand, I am not sure the number of suicidal cases in Chinese official has an impact. Approximately 100,000 people commit suicide in China in a year. Officials who commit suicide is a part of them. The suicidal rate in officials may be smaller than that in public.

In China, women are more likely to commit suicide compared to men. It is a unique characteristic. Thus, men tend to kill themselves more frequently than women in most countries. Iraq and North Korea are rare exceptions other than China.

My past entry: Who publish report of suicide rate

I hardly indicate a rational explanation for the diversity. But, it seems cultural differences are responsible for it because it is highly likely that men are vulnerable than women regarding suicidal tendency.

Anyway, suicide is a tragic event. Even on the side of the government, it is no good to allow officials who were involved in the graft to kill themselves, because it delays the organizational investigation. Some amendment of the policy or procedure of persecution is needed, I think.

Quantum random number generator

It is reported that Quantum random number generator has been now available.

ITProPortal: Quantum random number generators explained

Random number generation is one of basic functions for a modern computer. But its quality is not satisfactory. The other day, the number according to the user's request was generated referring to the time stamp. It means that the user could predict the number in advance if he or she understood the mechanism. Even recently, the theory of generating random number has not so much improved. This is because computer programming is essentially based on determinism.

In quantum physics, by contrast, everything is unpredictable. Each quantum is randomly assigned on the wave of probability. And we cannot determine the location of each quantum before identifying it.

Quantum concept is consistent with chaos theory. Chaos theory explains why we cannot predict the weather precisely. Water particles are always randomly moving, sometimes causing a decisive change of weather. This concept is completely against traditional physics in which every movement was considered to be able to be described with some particular formula.

My past entry: Schroedinger's cat and lovely world

I am not sure how to utilize quantum random number generator. Nonetheless, I guess it can be innovative in computer technology.

Quantum theory is also considered to improve the quality of crypt communication. Quantum has a characteristic that it will change, or be fixed, just when you recognize it. Applying this amazing property, you can create a cryptography which is never eavesdropped by others. When someone monitors it, the code will have been altered. Wiretapping is theoretically impossible.

My past entry: Quantum encryption

Quantum physics is so complex that I hardly understand it. However, it may be commonly used in our daily life in the near future.

Workaholism and psychiatric symptoms, a study

There are workaholic people, as you know. Some of them are very fond of working. Some say that they feel as if they enjoy leisure during work. On the other hand, some have too much thought of responsibility. They cannot reduce working time even if they are exhausted. As a result, not a few people break their health. In Japan, “Karoshi” (death due to excessive working) sometimes occurs. This fact estimates the higher likelihood of workaholic people in Japan.

So far, the relationship between workaholism and mental disorders has not been examined in detail. Recently, a cross-sectional study with a large sample size was published. In this study, a total of 16,426 working people participated in this survey. Approximately four-fifths were full-time workers. Most of the participants were employed either in public or private sector, and the majority of them were not in an administering position.

PlosOne: The Relationships between Workaholism and Symptoms of Psychiatric Disorders: A Large-Scale Cross-Sectional Study

This study proved that some relationships between psychiatric symptoms measured with self -rating scales and workaholic tendency. In this study, anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsiveness, and ADHD tendency were examined, and all of them were suggested to be associated with workaholism. Each of symptoms contributed significantly to the variance in workaholism, even after controlling for socio- demographic factors.

It is likely to be estimated high prevalence rate of workaholism in people with some psychiatric illness. It has been indicated that people with ADHD are often indulged in some particular works. Obsessive people are also likely to stick to work. The present result is consistent with these previous findings.

On the other hand, there are some questions to be examined before reaching a conclusion. In the present study, all of the symptoms examined were found to be correlated to workaholics. The sample population can be biased to the cluster in which many pathological working people were included. As a cross-sectional study, the results have no imprecation about a causal relationship. Thus, it is possible workaholic people tend to be mentally ill, and it is quite predictable. In the adoption of self-rating scale, symptoms can be exaggerated in some occasions.

I wonder that there is a relationship between workaholism and bipolarity, or hypomanic symptoms. In this study, the hypomanic tendency was not examined. It may be due the difficulty of measuring hypomanic symptoms. There is no self-rating scale of hypomania available with certain validity. People at hypomanic state seldom feel as so. I sense the considerable amount of people engaging in the tough working state are at hypomanic state, and they are at risk of bipolar depression. It is valuable if we predict their preclinical stage to prevent the onset of bipolar disorder.

Kirifuri Highland in Nikko

This weekend, I visited Kirifuri Highland (Misty Highland) in Nikko.

Nikko Kirifuri Highland Kisuge Daira Park

This place is located in Tochigi prefecture. Kirifuri Highland has around 1,000-meter height above the sea level. The ground in it is called Kisuge Daira Park, a representative for Broad dwarf daylily (Nikko kisege).

Broad dwarf daylily is a bright yellow flower. They bloom just at present. I enjoyed many lilies around the ground.

And I climbed a total of 1,445 steps of upstairs to reach the peak of the hill. I was so exhausted.

But, the view from the top was splendid.

Kirifuri Highland is sharing the name with Kirifuri Sammyaku (Misty Mountains) in the Lord of the Rings. In addition, dwarf appears in the name of broad dwarf daylily. So amazing.

Furthermore, there were some falls around there. I enjoyed to see the water splash.

I  also went to an alpaca farm. There were many alpacas there. Most of them had got their fur cut. It was to resist heat, according to the explanation in the farm. Of course, we make use of their fur to make some clothes.

It was a nice weekend journey.

Ozone hole shrinking thanks to reducing CFCs

A new study found that Arctic ozone hole is recovering.

USA Today: Study: Ozone hole over Antarctica beginning to heal

The ozone layer is surrounding the earth, and it is considered to block ultraviolet ray stroke from the sun. Excessive exposure to ultraviolet is harmful to our body. Therefore, the ozone layer is essential for human being.

However, it was several decades ago when ozone hole was observed in the Arctic region. The reason of damaged ozone was some kind of aerosol which is so stable that it reach ozone layer to destroy it. The gas was frequently contained in hair spray and deodorant.

In the late 1980s, many countries made a treaty to limit the production of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) which was deemed to cause ozone hole.

The Washington Post: The Antarctic ozone hole has finally started to ‘heal,’ scientists report

It seems effective. Recently, scientists revealed that the ozone hole shrunk by 1.5 million square miles, compared to the size measured in 2000.

It is rarely experienced that the influence of human activity on the environment is proven. Even the presence of global warming is doubted by some researchers. The hypothesis that CFCs is one of the main causes of creating ozone hole is persuasive. And now, there are few possibilities but this hypothesis to explain well the restoring of the ozone layer.

It is a lucky, but certain example that human can treat our environment, reducing pollution to keep the earth sustainable. Other attempts should be respected as well, for the better future.

First fatal case of auto-driving car

A tragedy having been afraid but expected occurred. A self-driving car provided by Tesla Motors made a crash, leading to the death of the driver on June 30th, 2016.

It happened in the US. According to the report by Tesla, the car's sensor failed to recognize a white truck trailer. It seemed to have been missed in the bright sky. The car ran out to the trailer, to be crashed.  

The Guardian: Tesla driver dies in first fatal crash while using autopilot mode

Tesla Motors expressed a great regret for the victim. But it also emphasizes the safety of autonomous driving, referring that autopilot death may occur every in 130 million miles, whereas human causes fatal accidents every in 94 million miles.

This statement may be true. I believe auto-driving car is safer than manual driving even at present. However, I guess some people cannot accept this fact. They trust their own technique too much, or they are not willing to rely on the machine in controlling their lives. These thoughts are also understandable.

Anyway, traffic accident is not avoidable as long as we use vehicle. Tesla is expected to get along with the counterstrike of people who do not trust self-driving cars.