This article from Reuters tells how the certain Chinese have expressed their displeasure at a recently released Japanese fantasy game called “Slaves of the Red Mansion“.

The Chinese are drawing parallels between the game and an Chinese novel called “Dream of the Red Chamber“. The book is described as a “Chinese Romeo-and-Juliet love story and a portrait of one of the world’s great civilizations” (amazon.com).

To me it just seems that there is nothing else to complain about, and that these few people posting to message boards really need to find something else to do with their time. I wonder if they complain about “classic” games like Doom, and Duke Nuke ‘em? Are they a portrayal of some other text where there is a guy, who had a shirt and once walked around somewhere?

Here is a couple of things that I found ammusing / interesting in my travels today…

The guy from the Apple Macintosh advertisments – John Hodgman holds forth on eels, mole men, and Mac’s.read more

I have no idea how to introduce this one… other then – the dancing midget who smokes

In this article on ZDNet titled “Why can’t Google’s second act be Rich Internet Applications?“, Ryan Stewart writes about Google‘s future limitations and lack of growth potential because of the wider lack of adoption of “Web 2.0″.

I dislike this way of addressing the next phase of the internet to start with, but I suppose if technologies like AJAX and philosophies like SAS must all be grouped under one heading then this will have to do for the moment. It is exceptionally naive to make a statement as if people are not adopting web delivered applications. People have been using web delivered applications or systems for almost as long as the internet has been around – it is not a new idea. The only thing that is new here is how the user can interact with these applications – and technologies like AJAX are doing wonders for the user experience.

The point that I am particularly disappointed with in the article is that there is limited potential for these web delivered apps because people still want an offline version. In the very near future, it will be hard to find an offline terminal – so why will people need a version that can run disconnected?

The stickers that I thought were only in Tokyo seem to be in many places around the entire world, I have no idea what they are. Maybe graffiti, street art, stickers warning of impending doom? I just don’t know. When I first got here – they kept reminding me of home (BNE being the Airport Code for Brisbane, Australia).

I have put some photos online here if you want to see the stickers in action.

There was an interesting segment on ABC (USA) “World News” PodCast that attempted to shed some light on it – but unfortunatly in what seems to be a common “narrow” view of the world only suggested that the stickers might have somethign to do with Japan, because they have Japanese characters on them – they made no mention of the fact that they are all over Tokyo. The news report is on You-Tube (link below).

I would love to know more about where these things have come from, feel free to email me if you have anything.

There is a little more about info at this San Francisco site called Metroblogging. It includes a very interesting comment that this could possible be a reference to a modern Iranian religion’s base text – Baha’u'llah and the New Era. The Baha’i faith, established in Iran in the mid-19th century is now spread around the world and gathering momentum as a rapidly growing religion. In context and including the Japanese characers that generally appear below the letters “BNE” it could read “Bahá’u'lláh and the New Era has arrived” or “Bahá’u'lláh and the New Era is coming“.

Not being at all religious, I think to read anything into this beyond somebody using it as either their tag around the world, or some sort of advertisment is dangerous. Another blogger has commented on the “12 Monkies” approach that some people are taking towards these stickers, which I find ammusing.

As you know from my previous posts here and here, I am having some problems with a mysterious Diners Club Card.

I have now received the fax from Diners, which I never realised was actaully CitiBank. I was quite ammused when I got the fax because during the phone call it sounded like a fairly painless thing to do, get a fax, fill it out and send it back. In actuallity – it is a blank page that I have to write an explanation on and fax back to diners. I am not completely sure what to put in there – but will start with…

  I do not have a freaking card with you, get rid of it from my file!…. Please.

Page 1, Page 2.

As you may have read in my previous post, I am currently fighting to have some incorrect information removed from by CRA file.

I have finally been able to get through to somebody at Diners Club fraud in Australia. As I expected, they did not call me back, I had to call them again.

After explaining my situation to them the lady who has taken my call informed me that whilst it is fraud, there are four different kinds of fraud – and I am in the wrong department. I was ammused when she asked who gave me the number and I just replied with “India”, she was silent for a second – and then just apologised. This at least dealt with a little bit of my frustration, obviously employees of the company are even annoyed by the fact that this has been outsourced in such a manner.

After having to be put on hold several times the lady who took my call had found out that it was actually a card that my father had started an application for several years ago, but had never been issued. She could not explain why the entry would be on my file now, nor why I would even be listed as have been receiving credit on my fathers card. Trying her best to help me she suggested that I call BayCorp. After I explained that BayCorp will make no changes for me, she went on a fact finding mission again.

After some more hold time, I was told that I would have to sign a declaration to Diners Club that I have never applied for a card, and that I did not have a Diners Club card. Trying not to sound just a little ammused that I have to tell Diners that I don’t have a credit card I gave her my fax number here in Japan, and agreed that I would fax it back when I receive it.

All this leaves me just a little bit uncomfortable. If companies like Diners and Baycorp can make mistakes like this, and I only become aware of it because I pay BayCorp money every year to get a copy of my file, how many other errors are there in the database? If this database is going to have such an impact on the lives of people, controlling how much credit (if any) they can get and reporting if they have defaulted on any payments in the last 10 years – surely there should be better oversight on it then a phone number that you can’t call from outside of the country being staffed with people who just flatly refuse to make changes for you anyway beyond offering to sell you your credit file?

This morning I opened my email to find that my credit file had been sent to me. This is nothing abnormal, I subscribe to a service from the evil and oppertunistic company Baycorp Advantage. They are a private company that maintaints credit information on every Australian. They have no government oversight, and as their revenue comes from companies that provide credit – there focus is obviously towards them. As any person who has ever tried to dispute something recorded on your CRA file will know – Baycorp do not really care, nor will they ever make a change.
Within my file was a note that one of my current credit providers was “Diners Club”. This probably would be fine for a lot of people but not for me as I do not have a Diners Club Card.
As soon as I got to the office this morning I tried calling Baycop Advantage. They only list one number on their site – 1300 nnnnnn, which is only accessable from Australia. I have emailed their support address email@email and am yet to get a reply with a number that will work from Japan.
I thought it also prudent to call Diners Club. They also only list one number, 1300nnnnnn, but it is at least accessable from outside of the country. Regardless of what option you choose, you end up at an Indian call centre (before anybody attacks me for guessing that it was, I asked every time and to their credit they answered truthfully). The second time I called as I could not understand the first person, I was told “I am very well train ed …” (yes train ed) “…to support you in your calling”. I probably don’t need to explain just how much confidence this gave me that these people in India were going to give me the support that I needed.
After explaining myself several times, I was given the number of the diners club fraud department in Australia, 1300 730 142.
So far I have called this number 4 times today. Each about 1 hour apart. The first three times I left a message with all my details, the fourth it just rang out.
I will update when I have any more news.

I love old stuff, especially old technology.  There is an awesome photo gallery on techrepublic with a whole heap of images of original computers from the 70′s.  Have a look here.

I know many of you will think this is quite lame, but this would have to be one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. This is the view right now from my apartment here in Tokyo.

Sunset

Sep 18, 2006 – 5 Photos

Well, I am told I complain a lot… a LOT!

So – in that vain – a site has been created where you can tell the world all the things that shit you.

It is called (strangly enough) What Shits Me.  It is only fresh, but I think it is time for us to all share the things that really get us grumpy.