US Navy Dismisses Captain of Aircraft Carrier Bound for Japan Over Fire
A discarded cigarette caused a blaze aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington, which is to be deployed in Japan. The navy said it has dismissed Capt. David Dykhoff over the incident.
U.S. Navy Boots Captain After Fire on Carrier
The U.S. Navy fired the captain and executive officer of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier George Washington on Wednesday because of a massive fire that damaged the ship. The two were fired because of practices investigators believe led to the fire.
Google Calendar CalDAV Support
HOWTO setup CalDAV support for Google Calendar so iCal will sync with Google Calendar, allowing two-way editing of events. Not the best implementation but definitely better than merely subscribing to a calendar in a read-only manner.
Dear Apple: Please Make the iPhone’s Native Interface Like the Remote App
Apple’s iPhone Remote application is so convenient to control an entire iTunes library from any iPhone or iPod touch. I request that Apple add the Remote app’s interface improvements to the iPhone’s native iPod interface.
‘Energy Boosting’ Eel Drink Goes on Sale for Japan’s Hot Summer
A canned drink called "Unagi Nobori," or "Surging Eel," made by Japan Tobacco Inc., hit the nation's stores this month just ahead of Japan's annual eel-eating season. Many Japanese believe eating eel boosts stamina in hot weather.
73-Year-Old Porn Star Bedazzles Japan’s Aged
Shigeo Tokuda looks like your average retiree, wearing a classy gray suit and distinguished glasses. But there is nothing average about this 73-year-old when he steps in front of the camera. Shigeo Tokuda is a porn star.
Jack Bauer operates outside the law, and he knows it. Nobody in the fictional world of 24 changes the rules to permit him to torture. For the most part, he does so fully aware that he is breaking the law. Bush administration officials turned that formula on its head. In an almost Nixonian twist, the new interrogation doctrine seems to have become: “If Jack Bauer does it, it can’t be illegal.”
There is this idiotic blog I ran across a few months back where a gaijin author complains about American drivers in Japan, specifically people in the military, military dependents or those who work on military bases driving cars with “Y” plates. I never really got in to the blog because the moronic author merely groups a small handful of bad American drivers in an attempt to portray everyone with a “Y” plate as a horrible driver. I have been unable to load the site because it appears the dumbass forgot to renew his domain.
This story is not about that particular dumbass but another one.
Stereotyping is so 1960’s and is pointless anyhow. Certainly this gaijin has run in to a few stereotyping instances throughout his time in Japan. It is inevitable. The longer you live in Japan without feeling the wrath of Japanese discrimination, the greater your chance of encountering such stupidity.
But I digress. Like I said, this post is not about the politics of discrimination, racial profiling or prejudice. My short story is a tale about an interesting driving experience I ran in to today for the first time in my 18 years in Japan. Did I just say “18 years in Japan?” Christ almighty, I must be getting old!
So this afternoon, before the surprise torrential downpour we endured, Anthony wanted to head to the pool with a couple of his friends. When we met them at our predetermined rendezvous point the weather decided there had been enough sun for the weekend. The rain started trickling from the clouds ever so slowly, but I could see a glimpse of hatred in the drops. These guys were interested in wreaking havoc, but apparently decided to start slow before their blitzkrieg. It was nothing short of shock-and-awe right as Anthony’s friends jumped in the car. Cats and dogs started falling out of thin air. It was crazy!
Instead of going to the pool Anthony decided he would rather head back to the house so he and his friends could screw around for a few hours. We got back to the house, the kids ran upstairs and I fell asleep on the couch like the old man I have become. Around 5pm we all piled back in the car so I could drop the kids back off at our previous rendezvous spot.
As I’m making a right turn across traffic off an already small 2-lane road on to an even smaller 1-lane road I notice a car is heading straight for me. The idiot old bastard driving does not stop until we are bumper to bumper.
If you have ever driven in Japan you should have a small idea of how narrow the streets are in this country. Most neighborhood streets in Tokyo are more narrow than your average, everyday narrow street. This particular road I turned on has maybe 2 feet of clearance on either side of car…maybe. Passing is not an option because it is impossible!
Let me explain something further for a minute. There is a special “neighborhood protocol” for driving on this street. About 100 meters after the turn I just made is another very small street. The protocol calls for any oncoming cars to swerve slightly in to this other street, which creates enough room for passing. This protocol has been in effect for who-the-fuck-knows how long. I know this because everyone follows this simple protocol. That is, everyone except for the fucktard I just ran face-to-face with. What’s more is he is the native while I am the foreigner, and he does not even know the rules of his own damn country!
So…here we are, two stubborn bastards staring at each other, mere inches away from each other’s car. I am definitely intent on remaining stationary until he moves out of my way. The vibes reverberating from his Chrysler give the impression he feels the same way. A gaijin driving a Japanese vehicle vs. a nihonjin driving a gaijin vehicle. Irony? Poetic? Probably some other 16 letter word to academically describe this situation exists but I am drawing a blank at the moment.
So I motion for ODB to back his happy ass in to the small street right behind him. He has plenty of room behind him as there are no other souls on the street except the two of us. This move requires little effort, is not dangerous, follows local protocols and makes the most sense! Dude screams through his windshield and motions for me to backup in to traffic, on to the busy street, so his old, dumb ass can get off the road. He wants me to backup in to what is definitely a dangerous situation because he…I do not know why, other than pure, unadulterated, godforsaken laziness.
And because this has turned in to a duel.
I throw my van in to park and sit there, intent on remaining stationary. Maybe I’ll check email, maybe I’ll surf the web. Or, maybe I’ll throw on a movie.
The old guy jumps out of his car and comes up to my drivers side door and screams in Japanese, telling me to backup. He probably thought he could scare me. I do not budge, almost willing myself not to get out of the car and beat this little guy to a pulp.
Instead, I opt to use my lungs and scream back, telling him the same thing but in English. As with his screams of war, it has no effect. He walk’s his frail ass back to his car and sits beside his wife.
I was trying to will his wife in to telling the old fuck to just backup and be done with it. But apparently she is on his side for some reason or another. Either that or very obedient, because I never once see her lips move. Maybe this is an alien couple? WTF do I know, right?
At this point I am adamant I am not going to move. I can play this game, especially because it’s just Anthony, his friends and me in the car. Junko stayed home. Had she been in the car with us then this would have never become a game of gaijin vs. nihonjin chicken…the stories movie and CNN articles are made of.
After another 30 seconds of absolutely nothing, after the old bastard planted his fragile old ass back in his car, he pulls out a pack of smokes and lights a cigarette. This is when I realized we were going to be here for a very long, long time. Alas, finally a reason to respect the man. He can fight, and fight hard!
We continue to stare each other down for what feels like an eternity but in reality is about another 45 seconds. It is at this point that I notice a car pull up behind the old fucker in front of me. I get this sinking feeling in my stomach, realizing this is the beginning of my demise. Not that this old codger was going to move before, but there is absolutely no way he will budge now. He has a reason for not moving now.
I scream “fUCKiT” in agony and wait another 60 or so seconds for traffic to clear and back-up to let this bastard out. I catch a faint glimpse of a smirk on his face as he turns on to the main road, almost as if he was thinking, “stupid gaijin does not know when to give up. I told you so!”
For those who think American’s have a monopoly on stupid driving in Japan, you are nothing more than a mere contributor to the rampant, unwarranted discrimination many gaijin face in Japan. Realize that the world does not revolve around you, and only you, and there is more to Japan than a few bad American apples.
StupidFilter is an open-source filter software that can detect rampant stupidity in written English. This will be accomplished with weighted Bayesian or similar analysis and some rules-based processing, similar to spam detection engines.
2 Ways to Take Screenshots From Your iPhone
Ever wanted to know how to get great screenshots from your iPhone? It’s really easy. One method involves the tried and true home and on/off combo while the other can take shots when your iPhone is connected to a Mac with the iPhone SDK installed.
Instead of showing the time on the top of your iPhone or iPod Touch, why not put your own message? An alternate version exists which will modify the carrier string instead of the time. Change "AT&T" to whatever you desire.
MacBook Touch Mockup: Is This Apple’s Top-Secret Laptop?
The Apple rumor mill is at it again, with reports surfacing this week that Steve Jobs and Co. are working on a touchscreen laptop to unveil as soon as the end of 2008. Good thing Glenn Derene dreamed up his own at the beginning of this year. Here’s a fresh look at our would-be MacBook Touch.
The Apple rumor mill is at it again, with reports surfacing this week that Steve Jobs and Co. are working on a touchscreen laptop to unveil as soon as the end of 2008. Good thing Glenn Derene dreamed up his own at the beginning of this year.
Adeona: A Free, Open Source System for Helping Track and Recover Lost and Stolen Laptops
Adeona is the first Open Source system for tracking the location of your lost or stolen laptop that does not rely on a proprietary, central service. Adeona addresses a critical privacy goal different from existing offerings: it is privacy-preserving.
Google finally offers an option for users to set to force all Gmail connections to be secured via SSL rather than unencrypted. It is amazing it took this long, especially for something as sensitive as email. Everyone should turn https on immediately.
U.S. Civilian on Okinawa Pleads Guilty to Drug Charges
An American civlian on Camp Foster pleaded guilty in Japanese court to smoking marijuana and inhaling stimulants. Naha District prosecutors asked for a 2yr prison sentence for violating Japan’s Cannabis Control Law and the Stimulant Drugs Control Act.
Kadena Airman Sentenced on Sex Charges
A 22-year-old Kadena airman was sentenced to three years of confinement and was dishonorably discharged Wednesday after pleading guilty to having sex with two 14-year-old girls.
Gmail Redesigned is an opensource project to fully redesign the look and feel of Google’s Gmail service. This is achieved with CSS on the client’s browser overwriting existing Gmail styles. The project is designed exclusively for Mozilla Firefox 3.
Court Considers Toddler vs. Universal Copyright Case
Pennsylvania mom Stephanie Lenz,whose case reached a critical stage Friday, finds herself at the heart of an epic copyright fight over Universal Music’s attempt to force her to take down a YouTube video of her toddler learning to walk with the Prince song “Let’s Go Crazy” blaring in the background.
Love My Life: Film Shows What It’s Like to be a Lesbian in Tokyo
Love My Life is a movie which explores the issues surrounding gays and lesbians in Japan. The main character is a young woman named Ichiko. She has a female lover, and decides one day that she’ll come out to her widower dad, who is pleasantly surprised.