Almost spring in Tokyo

Today the temperature is just slightly cool and dry while the bright sunshine provides a warming blanket during an outdoor stroll. All the signs of early spring have arrived to provide a defeat to winter's hold on the city. Along the Meguro River near our home, more than three kilometers of sakura trees are laden with buds, green and plump. Certain indicators the sakura season will commence in less than two weeks. Amidst economic news to saddle even the most robust companies and sturdiest of workers with uncertainty, the promise of sakura and the welcome of spring cannot be held back. Nor can its importance be diminished as Japan keeps its face to the spring sunshine.

Welcome spring!

 

(download)

Unusual job advice on Larry King Live

I was watching the Larry King Live podcast this morning with a discussion on the alarming rise of unemployment in the US. Larry had four women as guests, all related to job search, financial planning and personal branding. All of them provided useful and timely advice on such areas as proactively trying to protect your job, preparing for possible unemployment and, of course, what to do if you lose your job. However, it seemed as though these carefully coiffed women should be talking to white collar workers on Wall Street.

Next Larry interviews a father and son whose family has worked at General Motors since the Second World War. The son was recently laid off from the plant in their hometown. These guys probably aren't ready for prime time TV but they seem like honest, hardworking mid-west guys caught up in the economic change. But then Larry asks his guest panelists to give these guys advice. Huh? One career coach tried to explain "The Rule of 21". For every twenty-one resumes you send out, you'll get one response. Again, huh? The blank look on these two gentlemen's faces never flickered.

It seemed to me such a unusual combination of advisors and individuals.

And yes, the CEO of Women For Hire (huh?) also gave them some thoughts on the job search. "...think about odd jobs while you are waiting for a permanent job..." You go girl!

Picture_1

 

My new company notebook

The company with whom I am contracted with (United Airlines) was kind enough to provide me with a brand new notebook computer this week. Awww, thanks guys. Out goes the old wood-burning IBM and in comes the Dell.

Here are just a few of the features unique to an airline company notebook computer:

* Flight attendant call button next to the ESC key.
* You earn bonus miles when spell check finds no errors.
* Notebook can be used as a floatation device in the event of a water landing.
* $250 cancellation fee every time the DELETE key is pressed.
* Hands down, the most realistic flight simulator software pre-installed.
* Acrid smell of jet fuel at start up.
* Annoying pop-up duty-free ads during presentations.

Wish me luck...

Commodore_64_box

Dinner for Woody

Woody has been home since Wednesday morning and his condition continues to improve day by day. He needs to continue but diminish his steroid medication until next week. Since the medicine is bitter, we keep a tube that goes through his nose into his stomach. He has an appointment with the vet on Wednesday for a check up and we hope both the tube and the collar can be removed at that time. In the meantime, his appetite has returned with a vengeance and we need to feed him every six hours or so. Yes, even at 2 AM.
 
We are overjoyed to have Woody home. Tonight's feeding was the usual routine. The collar around his neck hampers his access to the food so we have to give the dish a 'lift' for him.

(download)

The best birthday present...

Tonight we celebrated my wife's 29th birthday (again). Our plans for a short vacation to Kyoto this week were dashed when one of our cats, Woody, became ill at the end of January. After almost six weeks of surgery, hospital stays, false hopes and more stress than we could imagine... his condition improved last weekend and he came home on Wednesday. As Yoshiko exclaimed tonight at dinner, the best birthday gift she could ask for.
 
Woody needs to continue a diminishing dose of steroids over the next week before his feeding tube and collar can be removed. But he has been a trooper through it all and has been sleeping like the dead since coming home. I can almost feel his relaxation and comfort in being home again.
 
Thanks to everyone for their support and encouragement over the past six weeks.

20090305-1

This morning on the Maglev Train

This morning I flew home from Shanghai to Tokyo. On almost of my previous business trips to Shanghai, I have traveled on the Maglev train between Pudong and the Pudong International Airport. With a top speed of 431 kph, it covers the 30 km distance in about eight minutes. However, the Pudong station is quite inconvenient since it is at least 20 minutes by taxi to subway to the business district of central Pudong. But what a ride.
 
Since I had an early flight this morning, I took a train around 7:45 am. Before 9 AM and after 5 PM, the maximum speed of the train is reduced to 300 kph. It is noticeably slower than the experience of 430 kph, which the train only sustains for two minutes of the journey, but a fun early morning experience.
 
In my experience, there is only one faster method of transportation in Shanghai than the Maglev train. The taxi drivers. Driving in Shanghai is an art form in itself.

(download)

Mobile Me: Why Apple struggles with it

If you are like me and a subscriber to Apple's Mobile Me service, you received an email from Apple this week. Apple says it has been working hard on getting MobileMe up to spec. And if you are like me, you have been less than impressed with the service since it's launch last year. It is obvious through free subscription extensions and numerous emails that Apple is concerned the product isn't what they promised and future subscription revenue is at stake. What is preventing Apple from getting it right?

Here are thoughts on the whole issue. We have come to expect excellence from Apple in all of their products, whether hardware, software or customer service. Few companies go to the length that Apple pursues in design, simplicity, innovation and quality. I am certain Apple achieves this through strict design standards and obsessive quality control in its manufacturing process. You need not look beyond the packaging of its products. Opening a new iPod package is almost an event in itself. Installation of software is easy, simple and very user friendly. All of its products exude excellence because Apple has hands-on control of the process.

But Mobile Me is an internet-based service. In short, it is as good or as bad as the structure, speed and characteristics of the current internet. This is something quite frankly which is simply out of Apple's control abilities. Servers go down, services are overloaded and conflicts occur. Apple can paint a pretty interface and link the pieces together well but in the end, the service is at the mercy of the current internet. It must be frustrating to Apple to have a product with which they don't have the usual amount of quality control and member satisfaction. 

Mmcloudicon2-27-09