Sequels in May 2018

Sunday, May 27, 2018
General Data Protection Regulation enforced

The enforcement of GDPR is still an issue around me. I myself is not worrying about it, but the department of advertisement is in chaos.


Saturday, May 26, 2018
Summit of the US and North Korea canceled

As expected, the US is suggesting a rearrangement of the summit with North Korea. It is expected that Kim Jong-un will have to accept a strong deal offered by Trump. The game of diplomacy is now quite advantageous for Trump.


Tuesday, May 15, 2018
Stabbing case occurred in Chiba

The suspect comments that he wanted to all four family members standing there. The prosecutor is planning to listen to victims after they get recovered from injury.


Saturday, May 12, 2018
Upbit case crashes Bitcoin price

The price of Bitcoin is still dandling. Recently, the price rapidly decreased to the lowest level in this year, but soon recovered.

Macbook revive

I bought a MacBook two years ago, as I wrote before. It looked cool but had some disadvantages.

And at last, it failed to update the MacOS, to be crippled. It never booted as ElCapitan. Therefore, I used the MacBook as a Windows PC with the Bootcamp.

Recently, I deleted the partition of the hard drive which was allocated to MacOS because of the shortage of Windows drive. I enjoyed this strange machine for a while.

However, I noticed that this machine is not booting. The Windows logo appeared, and a rotate marker suggests there is something in a process in the machine. But, this process never ended.

I tried to summon the auto-repair command of Windows but in vain.

The final option I can take is to restore the MacOS again. With pressing P+R+Option+Command button, I booted the disk utility. I erased the whole Bootcamp sector and ordered to install MacOS into this drive.

As a result, My MacBook revived as a Mac, again, compensating all data of my Windows PC. Fortunately, I stored no indispensable data on the Mac.

Both Mac and Windows always bother me, Bootcamp, as well.

Smart speaker issues of privacy

Recently, a shocking case occurred around the use of Echo, Amazon's smart speaker.

A couple in Oregon using Amazon Echo was notified by a friend. The report by the friend was surprising. A series of conversation of the couple done at home was leaked to the friend via the internet. The friend suspected that the couple's computer was cracked, and kindly notified the doubt to the couple immediately.

However, this case was not due to a malicious act of a cracker. It was revealed that Alexa, Amazon's AI assistant, misinterpreted some words of the couple as if it was ordered to record the conversation and send the vocal file to a friend.

After all, it was an incident of dysfunction of Alexa. The couple seemed to use Amazon Echo in a standard setting. Thus, similar issues will occur in other places.

NBC NEWS: Alexa privacy fail highlights risks of smart speakers

It is known that many smart speakers record the voice it catches for improving the quality of communication. And sending a message with some files is a quite basic function. Alexa did not any try extraordinary acts.

On the other hand, this trouble is similar to ones by a human.

However, a human has each judgment processes constructed by his or her ethics and common sense. For example, there was an incident that Google's AI misidentified a black lady as a gorilla. If a human is responsible for this task, this kind of case never occurs, because we never give a tag as a gorilla to a vague picture which is hardly recognized as a human at a glance.

Similarly, a couple's private conversation should not be sent to a friend via the internet. It is our common sense, but AI has no common sense at present.

Malice

Malice drills you.

It never strikes you physically.
Instead, it throws you into a maelstrom of confusion.

General Data Protection Regulation enforced

A new regulation regarding personal data protection was put into effect.

The European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) now comes into force. It prohibits collecting user'a data via the internet without each concent. Violation will be subjected to a fine up to 23.5M USD.

Reuters: EU privacy law enters into force, activist takes aim

European countries have been sensitive to privacy compared to the US. Some years ago, An European court approved "a right to be forgotten," ordering Google to erase the data of a person's dishonorable history.

And also, recent European regulations are clearly aiming at reducing the power of global companies most of which are originated from the US. The GDPR will do damage to Google, Apple, Amazon, and other IT companies using cookies and similar ways to collect user information.

ABC NET: Europe faces off American technology companies over user data: Who will win?

Indeed, also I was ordered to check the website of the department I belong to confirm no programs to collect user information secretly are equipped on the English pages.

It should be accepted that there is a conflict between convenience and safety. Some people are not willing to disclose their personal information in exchange for receiving services. I dare not to keep my alignments secret unless any critical situations happen. People's opinion is various, anyway.

Summit of the US and North Korea cancelled

Donald Trump, the President of the US, declared to cancel the planned meeting with Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea.

The New York Times: Trump Pulls Out of North Korea Summit Meeting With Kim Jong-un

His statement was sent with a personal letter to Kim. In the message, Trump seems to have chosen words deliberately to express his regret. Perhaps he is not willing to break the relationship with Kim completely.

On the other hand, North Korea is still ready to accept the meeting with the US, according to the media. Kim Jong-un had made comments which were somewhat provocative to the US. It is possible that North Korea did not expect the cancelation of the meeting committed by Trump.

CNN: North Korea says it's still willing to meet Trump after US President cancels summit

Now, it is uncertain whether the summit will be realized. I believe Trump wants to do something about this issue. If North Korea accepts a deal suggested by the US, it will be counted as a great achievement of the Trump administration. Then, the US may soften the attitude to North Korea soon, for the second chance.

Rural people are happier?

A recent study in which the level of happiness of the citizens was evaluated is focused.

This study was conducted in Canada. The researchers ranked more than 1,200 communities by the subjective happiness level from the 400,000 answers of citizens. Surprisingly, the result suggests population density is negatively associated with the average of happiness level.

The Washington Post: People who live in small towns and rural areas are happier than everyone else, researchers say

Thus, citizens living in a rural area are likely to be happier than those in an urban area.

I have seen a similar result of another study the other day. It is suspected that short commute time and the vast space for each citizen are keys to happiness.

In addition, the sense of belonging is essential to maintain the level of satisfaction for everyone. As a result, the level of happiness in the area where there are many immigrants is likely to be relatively low. It does not mean, however, immigrants cannot be happy.

Also in Japan, some people who moved from Tokyo to a rural area say that they become happy. Actually, the life in Tokyo is very convenient and stimulative, but exhausting and costly.

Of course, this result cannot be easily generalized. Happiness is a subjective, and relative sense. If you meet a person who looks happier than you, you may feel unhappy. The happiness level of Butanians was decreased after they get touch with Western culture.

On the other hand, you feel happy when you expect tomorrow will be better than today. In this sense, citizens in a developing country may feel happier than those in a developed country, even though their life is tougher.

What is good parenting?

Nurture is one of the greatest activities of the human being. All we cannot grow up without any support of other people. Most of us have been grown up by the parents, while some need official or unofficial aid other than family for several reasons. Therefore, parenting is deemed as a simple and essential task for adult couples.

There are very scarce evidence regarding appropriate care for the children. Each parent has their own ideology. And many of us believe our idea is the absolute solution for guiding our children to good maturity. In reality, however, not a few parents fail to commit proper nurturing.

As a result, some children suffer from the traumatized experiences. Even if not physically abused, an inappropriate attitude of nurturing is suspected to be a risk for some mental disorders in later life. Not only PTSD and borderline personality disorder, but also bipolar disorder is relevant to the tough experiences in the youth, according to latest studies.

Therefore, we should know the right way to nurture which is evidence-based. A person's experience is limited because most parents can grow up
only some children.

On the other hand, it is no doubt that a clinical trial is difficult to be conducted in this region. Randomized nurturing is unrealistic. Results from animal experiments suggest very limited findings. And it takes many years to gain the outcome if a social experiment is started.

At present, there are some hypotheses regarding proper nurturing which are guessed with findings from other academic regions.

The Conversation: Evidence-based parenting: how to deal with aggression, tantrums and defiance

This article above introduces some techniques of appraisal and discipline to the children with problematic behaviors. I believe the author writes them with the principle of behavioral therapy. Behavioral therapy is rather a traditional technique, but even now widely used in several situations.

I think the behavioral therapeutic approach is beneficial for children since it is easy to understand and evidence-based. But the behavioral approach is not adequate for the perfect parenting, because children are not patients.

Rainbow mark toilet dismissed in Osaka

Rainbow mark suggesting sexual minorities had been introduced to public toilets in some facilities, in Osaka. But recently, the mark was removed.

The reason was that some people with LGBT characteristics claimed that the rainbow mark was rather disadvantageous. People are afraid to be identified as a sexual minority by using the toilet with rainbow mark.

Asian News Network: Local govts in Japan remove LGBT marks from public toilets

The rainbow mark was firstly introduced for people who hesitate to use a toilet for both genders. On the other hand, many people belonging to sexual minorities keep their sexual preference secret to the public, in some even to family members. Osaka prefectural government judged that introducing the rainbow mark against the will of the considerable amount of voice of the users would not be justified.

This episode gave me some points of issues. The rainbow mark is a symbol of diversity. It is sorry that this mark may harm people belonging to the minority. It is no doubt that the current situation that LGBT people believe to have to hide their true opinion to the public due to public discrimination is miserable. But, the social tide is not easy to be changed. Some people claim that setting rainbow marks is beneficial for the enlightenment. But it cannot be complimented under the agony of the users.

Therefore, I support the decision of Osaka prefectural government. On the other hand, each private sector should take action on their own idea. Diversity itself is a key to the maturity and the whole happiness of our society. I think the rainbow mark is cool, and I would like to use the "everyone's toilet" occasionally.

Eel price rises

Eel is an important food for Japanese. Many Japanese are fond of eat Una-ju, or Una-don (grilled eel on the rice) in summer. Eel is believed to protect your body from diseases during summer. Indeed, eel contains rich protein and fat.

However, the price of eel is continuously increasing in recent years. I guess the cost has been more than doubled in a decade.

One of the reasons is a shortage of catching juvenile eel school. Most eel is framed in a pond. But artificial hatching of an eel is not feasible so far. Therefore, young eels caught in the sea are necessary for harvesting ell.

The Japan News: Eel prices expected to surge again this year

The reduced amount of catching eel has been focused for a couple of decades. Then, the hike is not surprising. The other days, the eel was a luxury food in Japan.

I hear that total farming is under experiment in several facilities. The government expects hatching eel will be industrialized within a few years.

In the modern era, we have few opportunities of eating natural food. It is sorry, but not a disgrace, I think. It is of the importance that nobody will starve.

Martial arts therapy?

There is no way to improve your brain activity directly. But some behaviors are expected to maintain your mind healthy and energetic: high-qualified sleep, balanced meal, and physical exercise.

Then, what kind of exercise is the best for your brain? I have no idea. To begin with, evaluating the influence of exercise on your health itself is not an easy task. Comparing the effect of each exercise is almost impossible.

It is certain that aerobic exercises seem superior to non-aerobic ones for reducing your body weight. But each kind of activity has perhaps their own benefits. For example, the writer of this article above recommends you to take martial arts.

The Conversation: Five brain-boosting reasons to take up martial arts – at any age

Indeed, several studies have been conducted suggesting the benefits of martial arts. I admire the efforts of the researchers to evaluate the precise effect of playing martial arts. However, it does not suggest martial arts is the best exercise, but martial arts are widespread in the US, one of the nations many qualified studies are made. In China, Tai-kyoku-ken (Chinese shadow boxing) is commonly used for elder people to maintain their health. Some Japanese researchers might believe Judo Karate makes your body and mind fresh and enhanced.

As well, the effect on your body and mind of exercise depends on the quality level of each activity. Many people play basketball. But the amount of consumed energy for one game differ by three times between amateur and semi-professional player, I have heard from a researcher of industrial health.

After all, you may choose some exercise you would like to do. Continuous activity is essential for the health benefit regardless of the kind of practice.

Cuba aircraft accident, over 100 dead

A terrible incident occurred in Cuba. An aircraft immediately after launching from Havana crashed into the ground. This accident killed more than 100 people, almost all passengers, and crews.

The Washington Post: More than 100 people dead after airliner crashes in Cuba on domestic flight

The cause of the accident is still unclear. It is unlikely someone deliberately did this tragedy, I guess.

The crashed airplane, a Boeing 737-200, was leased by state airline Cubana de Aviación from a small Mexican carrier. This carrier was 38 years old but had passed the latest safety examination.

According to the media, there are some aircraft accident cases occurred in Cuba in recent years. But it is unsure there are structural issues in this case. I pray for the victims.

The egg is healthy, the final answer

One of the victims mostly disgraced in the last century may be the egg. We had been told not to eat too many eggs for protecting our health. It was for an egg contains rich cholesterol.

However, recent studies suggest the safety of eating many eggs. A couple of years ago, authorities amended the statement about the risk of eggs. It was the most surprising change in the modern nutrition.

And also, there is an interventional study about the effect of eggs. In this study, participants with diabetes or the risk of it were encouraged to eat many eggs or fewer eggs according to the group assigned. As a result, members of both groups accomplished the reduced body weight with maintaining the metabolic status. No significance was observed between groups.

Hindustan Times: Eggs are good for you. Yes, even the yolk, says this study

This result itself is not surprising. But, it is splendid that an interventional study for a year was conducted to prove a hypothesis.

Spider guardian

There are species most people hate. Insects are good examples, as well as spiders.

But it is better not kill the spider found in your house. One of the reasons is that spiders eat other insects which are more harmful to you. In Japan, the gecko is known as a guardian of the house for the similar reason.

The Conversation: Should I kill spiders in my home? An entomologist explains why not to

I know the fact the article above describes. Therefore, I never kill the spiders at home.

However, I see mini-spiders almost every day in recent. I wonder where they live.

The other day, I saw a huge spider. Its shape was bigger than my hand!  Maybe it was a cellar spider.

By the way, it is said that spider tastes like chocolate. You can eat it after getting rid of the legs. I dare not to try, of course.

Medical AI challenges

Yesterday, I attended a lecture regarding medical AI.

The speaker was the CEO of a startup engaged in this topic. He has medical doctor license. But immediately after graduating the medical school, he began to develop a company. The reason was that he noticed the situation of the IT around medical practice was too outdated to carry out satisfactory care for patients.

Now, he gathered a large amount of money through ICO, and attempts several projects for better solutions in medical science.

For example, his company is developing a system of automated construction of the medical record. In general, a medical doctor makes a consult with the patient for diagnosing him or her. After listening to the patient's complaints, the doctor has to take a note of the finding to construct the medical record. The system under developing will enable this process to be automated. If this system is complete, the doctor can focus on considering proper treatment with saving the time for typing the words on the PC.

There are several challenges to be overcome in the medical practice, according to the CEO. It was impressive that he thought the modern medical AI is far from satisfactory so that the outcome of engineers' work is no more beneficial to our society. Indeed, it is not easy to replace human doctors with an AI. Even if realized, an AI would not take a responsibility of decision making for medical practices.

The CEO also told us about blockchain. It is no doubt that blockchain is an innovative technology. He would like to utilize blockchain for sharing medical records of many patients. But there are some barriers before realizing it, such as the block size, security, and the switching cost.

To be honest, I am a shareholder of his company. Of course, I strongly believe he will be successful.

I hardly imagine the true impact of the AI on the medical practice. I am also engaged in a study regarding the utilization of medical AI. But the outcome is unsure so far. In my guess, AI will not replace human doctors. Rather, AI will support, or hopefully enhance, the doctor's treatment in the near future.

Low income makes you dull?

It is well known about the positive association between the level of intelligence and income. But how do you feel about the causality?

Generally speaking, highly intellect persons are likely to gain more money. In contrast, people with intellectual disability are difficult to keep adequate income for satisfactory life. Therefore, financial aids for people with disabilities are necessary. It is a principle of the modern welfare-oriented states.

On the other hand, there is a hypothesis that low income does damage your brain activity. In a recent study, people with high socioeconomic status had more segregated brain structure. This result remained after the status in their childhood and other potential confounding factors were adjusted.

The Atlantic: How Income Affects the Brain

Since I have not read the manuscript thoroughly, I cannot evaluate the validity of the conclusion. But, it is possible that longitudinal exposure to financial difficulty causes irreversible damage to the brain. There is a hypothesis that chronic inflammation in the brain leads to depression, and poverty is one of the triggers of the onset of depression. As well, oxidative stress is suspected as a dominant cause of dementia. To sum up, some factors such as oxidative stress, inflammation, or depression as a clinical symptom mediate the link between poverty and chronic cognitive dysfunction.

Accepting this trajectory indicated above, what should we do? Improved social security is crucial for preventing people from further suffering. But it is not easy to deliver adequate wealth to everyone. "Free rider" issue should be discussed when giving money to many people equally. To begin with, proof of the causality between poverty and impaired cognitive function is not enough because there are no interventional studies.

Stabbing case occurred in Chiba

In Chiba prefecture, near to Tokyo in Japan, an assault case occurred all at sudden.

The suspect, who was proven to be an ex-member of Chiba city assembly, intruded into a restaurant with a knife. He stubbed a family composed of father, mother, and a girl. Unfortunately, the girl was killed by him. Her parents got injured but not fatal.

South East Morning Post: Japanese ex-politician stabs family of four in restaurant near Tokyo, killing little girl

According to the media, the suspect is an uncle of the victimized girl. Some Japanese media reported his criminal history in which he has stricken his father in the past but not being prosecuted. The suspect seems to have admitted that he had done it.

Mr. Yoshihito Kumagai, the Mayor of Chiba city, tweeted for expressing regret to this tragedy. Due to the uniqueness of the suspect, Japanese media are willing to report the case in detail. But I have no words about this case at present because the information is limited. Pray for the victim.

Crypto jacking

Since the internet emerged in the late 20th century, malware has risen to the mainstream of the internet security. There are several types of malware developed by malicious crackers; computer virus, trojan horse, and phishing sights in recent. And the latest tool is crypto jacking.

The Conversation: Cryptojacking spreads across the web

The scheme of cryptocurrencies is supported by many miners. Miners use their computer to confirm each transaction to be rewarded. Thus, they get crypto coins in exchange for providing electric power.

Crypto jacker is so-called a free rider of miners. If you unconsciously install a crypto jacking application, your computer will be misused to make crypto coins. Of course, the reward is paid to the cracker.

Crypto jacking is less harmful than typical malware for the owner of the computer. Nonetheless, the affected machine consumes an excessive charge.

According to the article above, crypto jacking also can be utilized properly. People visiting a website are asked to donate the organizer with mining. It looks a cool idea.

Anyway, malware will rise one after another. We should be always aware of their risk.

Germany is apart from the US

It is afraid that the EU seems to become apart from the US in its diplomatic policy.

Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany, declared that Europe would not be able to rely on the US for protecting the safety, recently. Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, agreed with her opinion.

StraisTimes: Europe can't count on US protection any more: Merkel

In the era of cold war, Western European nations collaborated with the US as members of NATO. But it was because there is an arch enemy: Soviet Union. In recent years, the US behaves, especially led by Trump administration, independently from NATO. Trump has declared that he would not guarantee the international safety whereas the US  had taken the role of the world police.

Nonetheless, some dominant nations in Europe such as the UK and Germany acted supportively to the US. But recently diplomatic policy of Trump administration is apparently unfriendly to European nations. Therefore, Germany and France have to be prepared to the conflict with estimated enemies such as Russia and China without the support of the US.

To begin with, the rise of ISIS is partially attributable to the wrong policy of the US in the past. As a result, many European people were victimized by the terror attacks. Facing the withdrawal of the UK, the EU will encounter a difficult situation.

Upbit case crashes Bitcoin price

The price of Bitcoin crashed down recently.

Recently, the price is fluctuating. Its range was between 8000 and 9000 USD. Some media reported the trend had been changed to optimistic beyond the bottom of 6000 USD line.

However, it never broke the line of 9000 USD. One of the reasons was said to the custodian of Mt Gox which was bankrupted a few years ago. A large amount of Bitcoins is sold every ten days, according to some experts examining the blockchain.

In addition, Upbit, one of the largest crypto coin exchanges, which is located in South Korea, was investigated by the prosecutor. Upbit is suspected to have been dealing with too many coins to be permitted based on its capital.

Fortune: Bitcoin Slips Below $9,000 Following Korean Exchange Raid

Cryptocurrency exchanges have been hardly investigated so far because their radical and innovative structure is not applicable to the conventional protocol of investigation for financial institutions. If Upbit sells Bitcoins more than they possess without any compensating safeguards, it is no other than a fraud.

But, similar cases will happen whenever a new technology rises. The uniqueness of blockchain is recognized by many people. We should consider what it can do for the better future.

Anticholinergic drugs and dementia

Recently, a case-control study with a large sample size to investigate the influence of anticholinergic drugs on the patient's cognitive function in the future was published in British Medical Journal, a world famous scientific journal.

The BMJ: Anticholinergic drugs and risk of dementia: case-control study

In this study, some clusters of anticholinergic drugs were found to be associated with the later onset of dementia. A total of 14,453 patients developed dementia in 100,856 patients who were given anticholinergic drugs in the past, while 23,617 out of 233,847 people without anticholinergic drug prescription became dementia. The relative risk of dementia was calculated to 1.2.

Anticholinergic drugs are widely used in several fields of medicine. But their adverse effects are also concerned by many medical practitioners. Especially, the fact that they cause cognitive impairment to the patient is often focused. But there have been few studies to examine the longitudinal effect of anticholinergic drugs on the patients' cognitive function. This study suggests anticholinergic drugs are potentially harmful not only the term they were prescribed but also in the later life of the patients.

However, there are some arguments before accepting the outcome of this study, even though BMJ is a top journal of medical science.

As some researchers have suggested on the internet forum, there are potential confounders between prescription of anticholinergic drugs and the onset of dementia. Recently, some claim that depression in elder people is a prodromal syndrome of dementia. If it is true, the onset of dementia after treatment with antidepressants does not indicate that anticholinergic effects in the antidepressants are accountable for dementia.

It is also suggestive that only some clusters of anticholinergic drugs were associated with the onset of dementia: antidepressants, anti-Parkinson drugs, and urological drugs. Thus, gastrointestinal drugs are hardly proven to be guilt. Is it due to the magnitude of cholinergic affinity? Or, are there mediators in each patient with a specific disease? Further investigation is needed.

After all, this study has not proved the causal relationship between anticholinergic drugs and dementia. If you are suffering from some diseases, anticholinergic drugs are one of the choices, as far as it is appropriate.

Trump cancels Iran deal

Donald Trump, the President of the US, declared to withdraw from Iranian nuclear deal.

CNN: Trump withdraws from Iran nuclear deal, isolating him further from world

The Iranian deal was established in 2016. After this historic agreement, Iran froze the plan of developing nuclear weapons for the return of the end of sanctions by the US and European nations. This deal was counted as an achievement of Obama.

My past entry: Iran nuclear agreement

However, Trump deemed this deal as stupid, and the US is soon going to regain financial sanction. It will bring Iran recession.

The EU nations are criticizing the US' decision. On the other hand, Israel, an ally of the US, is welcoming the resume of sanction by the US against Iran.

Iran shows no intention to restart the nuclear experiments responding to the US' withdrawal from the deal. But it says that domestic economy should be prioritized. Thus, if the sanction does serious damage to Iran, it will choose a riskier way.

I hardly understand the idea of Trump. He must be concerned about the next midterm election. Therefore, he has an incentive to cheer domestic voters' mind up. Since North Korea is no more an enemy for the US, Iran may be a good target to attract citizens' hatred, perhaps. But, there may be more profound thought, I expect.

Anyway, the status of the Middle West has become unease. I am afraid Trump's decision will pull the trigger to serious conflicts.

WeChat deletes massive comments for banning fake news

WeChat, the largest SNS in China, has swept away a total of a half-billion posting for their uncertainty.

South China Morning Post: WeChat has blocked 500 million postings in fight against fake news

WeChat is said to have one billion users. Thus, its magnitude matches Facebook and Twitter. On the other hand, its policy includes the deletion of fraud or doubtful posting. As a result, in this time, massive comments were eliminated.

According to the article above, the regulation of WeChat is very strict, or rather biased. For example, posting mentioning missing Malaysia Airline Flight 370, as well as a cure for cancer, is subjected to censoring because it violates the rule of "rumor."

Indeed, there are several words which are likely to be used in fraud. But there are enormous terms for such purposes, such as "free," "conspiracy," and even "request." Modern spam filters are sophisticated to distinguish junk emails from many postings. Compared to them, WeChat's rule seems inferior in the specificity.

Furthermore, it is extremely difficult to identify a particular post as fake news. It is possible that comments which had been deemed doubtful were proven to be true later. If so, a fake new filter can inhibit the spread of correct information. AI will provide a better solution with good velocity in filtering, but it will not be perfect.

Fake filters are beneficial in the short term but may be disadvantageous in a longitudinal way. I think this kind of filters should be adopted only in an emergency such as after a disaster.

Neonicotinoids are banned from the EU

The EU decided the ban of neonicotinoids as a way of insecticide.

The Guardian: EU agrees total ban on bee-harming pesticides

Neonicotinoids have been widely used all over the world for killing insects which are harmful to crops. In Europe, making seeds coded with neonicotinoid chemicals was generally used, which were relatively rarely adopted in Japan. But, since the seeds also attract bees, this procedure is suspected to have led to the annihilation of bees.

As bees bring pollen, they are essential to sustain the global environment. If bees perished, all animals would no more be able to live.

There are several reports of the massive death of bees in recent years. Some researchers claim the evidence suggests the use of neonicotinoid is responsible. So far, each nation is gradually strengthening the regulation against neonicotinoid.

The latest decision in the EU forces members to abandon the use of neonicotinoid except in the greenhouse. Not surprisingly, some organizations relevant to agriculture and chemical factories are opposed to this regulation.

I am not sure the EU decision is rational because it is difficult to evaluate the environmental issues. It will be good for assessing the influence accurately to observe the status after banning neonicotinoids continuously.

Oculus Go is ready to be launched

In recent years, VR is a key not only in the entertainment but also in several industries. Many companies consider how the VR function will benefit them. And the most effective way is to introduce VR machine into our daily life.

However, the first generation VR gears have some disabilities, not surprisingly. They are the high initial cost and dependence. Oculus Lift requires a high-end PC to be functional. PlayStation VR demands to be attached to PlayStation4 with a cable.

And now, Oculus Go will be released this year. According to the media, it will be sold for only 200 USD. In addition, it can download any programs via WiFi by itself. It can be connected to any smartphones. And most of all, it needs not any cables.

South China Morning Post: Oculus Go is the breakthrough VR headset you’ll want to buy or give as a gift – it’s attractively priced and easy to use
http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2144637/oculus-go-breakthrough-vr-headset-youll-want-buy-or-give-gift-its

I think the last thing is the most important. VR experience is highly inhibited when the gear is connected to a particular machine with a cable. The author of the article above recommends you to use Oculus Go in an airplane. Such usage will be realized because Oculus Go works independently.

Prolonged battery life, and then lesser weight, is the next challenge.

Body Clock makes you aggressive

How do you feel at sunset? Maybe lonesome, cheerless, or sad? Otherwise, you might feel a little agitated.

It is known that aggressive behaviors in patients with dementia are increased at the sunset time. Indeed, I have experienced that some inpatients cause trouble mainly at twilight compared to daytime. I thought the main reason is delirium, as well as a fewer number of caregivers at night.

But, recent studies suggest the circadian rhythm is influential on controlling aggressive behaviors. The experiments with mice proved that they become more hostile to intruders at night. Furthermore, mice whose parts of the brain accountable for the circadian rhythm had been destroyed showed no significant difference in aggressive behaviors during the day.

Independent: Aggressive behaviour reaches highest levels at sunset, finds body-clock study

Thus, it is estimated that our aggressiveness is partially controlled by the time. At the same time, we are rational so that we can suppress the impulse derived from the instinct. But once the antagonistic function is impaired due to neurological diseases such as dementia, we would be controlled by the body-clock.

Chronopsychology is a new region of the brain science. I expect many interesting findings will be reported soon.

Error around Twitter password found

Twitter, an SNS giant company, announced a serious bug around user's password.

According to the official announcement, Twitter had erroneously stored some users' passwords unencrypted. Thus, they were at risk for getting stolen the password by a cracker. The bug has already been fixed.

As far as Twitter knows, there are no reports of bleaching so far. It does ensure no troubles will happen, however. Twitter is encouraging
users to change their password.

TechCrunch: You should change your Twitter password right now

I was surprised that this kind of fundamental error remains in the program administered for several years such as Twitter. At the same time, Twitter's response seems to be relieving. Of course, I have changed my password precautiously.

Taking photos protect your health?

You may have several habits. Each of them makes you happy and make your life meaningful, even if they themselves have no impact on your social or financial status.

In addition, some habits have been proven to be beneficial to your physical health. Exercise is a good example. Brain sports are also believed to be effective for preventive some mental disorder, though the evidence is limited.

And here, taking photos are expected for a better life.

HindustanTimes: Taking one picture daily has a surprising health benefit. Here’s what it is

Nowadays, taking photos became quite easy because of the spread of smartphones. The other day, photographers were rather a rare occupation. But recently, many people take photos to upload them to the social network.

To be honest, I am doubtful that taking pictures itself is beneficial for your health. The article above does not explain the methods of the study the researchers adopted to prove the effect of photo taking. It is obvious that people taken photos become happy or satisfied because they had already been motivated to do so. It is unsure if encouraging depressive patients who have no habit of taking photos to make some activities is so good.

Nonetheless, I agree with the concept the researchers claim. Taking photos contains several processes such as observation, focusing, decision, and expression. Being aware of these movements of your mind must be meaningful.

Scotland introduces minimum pricing for alcohol

Scotland is going to introduce the minimum pricing for alcohol.

It is for the first time in the world to set a minimum price for alcohol consumption. If realized, selling alcohol at a lower price than 50 pence per unit of alcohol will be illegalized.

The main aim of this legislation is to cut off alcohol consumption bringing people to alcohol dependence.

On the other hand, it is not surprising Scotch Whisky Association and other relevant organizations are opposing to this scheme. But, Britain'S Supreme Court declined their appeal. Therefore, it is expected that this new regulation will come into force this week.

The Straits Times: Scotland becomes first country in the world to introduce minimum pricing for alcohol

Rather, it is possible that this legislation will protect whiskey industry because selling whiskey for the too low price is prevented while luxury brands will not be affected.

On the other hand, illegal providers will rise there. But it is unsure that they will make profits because selling alcohol for a low price demand a considerable cost reduction.

As the birthplace of whiskey, Scotland will attract attention about the outcome of this "alternative prohibition law."

Inkle experiment with simplified headlines

I subscribe Inkle, a news curation service. It sends me several articles of recent events, findings, and some heartwarming topics. It also releases some gaming apps such as "Steve Jackson's Sorcery."

I read every day the compilation of articles Inkle suggested to me. I often write this blog based on the idea Inkle provided. So, Inkle offers me a splendid web service.

Yesterday, Inkle's news mail looked strange. It seemed to be downloaded erroneously, at a glance. But reading the email, I noticed that it was an experiment by Inkle.

Inkle omitted some photos beside each article Inkle introduced. Therefore, this email looked like a simple text message. Indeed, it is far lighter in the volume than previous ones.

On the other hand, I felt the visibility of this email was considerably inferior compared with the previous style. Although attached photos were not entirely helpful to understand the content of each article, they were encouraging me to look through the list of articles, I noticed.

An experiment is important to clarify the real influence of each element to the event. I hope Inkle will not abandon to attach photos to the email.

Who is the strongest in Avengers?

Avengers/Infinity War has made a record in the history of Marvel Cinematic Universe, I convince.

I dare not to tell you the story. Instead, I will compare the strength of each member. This kind of consideration is made everywhere. So, this is merely my opinion from the impression with seeing the movies.

I evaluated them with three factors: Power, Toughness, and Specialty. Power means the destructive potential in the melee battle. Toughness is physical invulnerability. And specialty is the sum of several abilities such as missile weapons and extraordinary skills and knowledge

1st
Thor
Power 4; Toughness 5; Specialty 3
His power is extreme. He lives many years and can survive even in the space. He can call lightning and have a massive knowledge of the universe.

2nd
Hulk
Power 5; Toughness 5; Specialty 1
Hulk seems superior to Thor in the close combat. But, he only can smash. He cannot fly or shoot anything.

3rd
Ironman
Power 3; Toughness 3; Specialty 5
Tony has developed several items to respond any situations. I rank him as supreme at Specialty.

4th
Doctor Strange
Power 3; Toughness 1: Specialty 5
He may match Ironman in the power. But his body is as same as an ordinary human. Defense is an issue for him. But his magical power is so limitless that he can reverse the time with Time Stone. Potentially, he is supreme at Specialty.
Vision
Power 3; Toughness 2; Specialty 4
Vision is almost as strong as Ironman. He can fly. Also, he can moderate his body so that any materials cannot do damage to him. But this ability was not functional in "Infinity War," unfortunately.

5th
Captain America
Power 3; Toughness 3; Specialty 2
Winter Soldier
Power 3; Toughness 3; Specialty 2
War Machine
Power 3; Toughness 3; Specialty 2
Scarlet Witch
Power 2; Toughness 2; Specialty 4
Spiderman (Ironspider version)
Power 2; Toughness 3; Specialty 3
I guess Cap and Winter Soldier are almost as strong as Ironman. And War Machine has basically the same potential as Ironman, too. But as Tony is genius, he will win the real battle.

Black Panther has no ability to fly or attack from distance. Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Falcon are the weakest. Antman is difficult to evaluate exactly. By the way, Thanos marks all 5.

That's all. How do you feel about my ranking?