Monthly Archive for October, 2007

A Cat Named Schrödinger Mk II

Published
by
aaron
on October 24, 2007
in A Cat Named Schrödinger, language and thoughts on...
. 8 Comments

I feel like I should to return to this… I’ve been revisiting Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations… In order to clarify some issues that arose in the previous ‘A Cat Named Schrödinger‘ entry.

What does it mean to say that a thing is “Without Meaning”. It cannot be that the thing in question is a vessel which is empty of a kind of substance that we call meaning. As if it is a difference between there being the physical constructional attributes of a thing, and then the quality or function of it.

To talk about meaning as though it has an object and a content is to entirely miss the point about meaning. Is our language so exact and inflexible?

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“Please, Mind your Step. When crossing … be careful of the footing sufficiently. Understood beforehand because the responsibility can not be assumed about the accident in case and so on.”

The meaning gets across, almost entirely to the same degree as it would in ‘proper’ English. It is the case that the linguistic structure fails, but this sentence is meaningful, is it not?

… Continue reading ‘A Cat Named Schrödinger Mk II’

Browsers, and the Firefox ‘Quick Search’

Published
by
aaron
on October 22, 2007
in productivity and tools
. 2 Comments

If you are still using Internet Explorer, please stop.

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Download Firefox or please check out a number of alternative browsers, a second favourite of mine is Opera.

There are pros and cons to any browser. Firefox is infinitely customizable as there are always new developments for its third-party plugins. Unfortunately, this is also its downfall. In order to get the best experience from Firefox, every new install of it needs countless downloads to get to that specific functionality that you are used to. For a work computer, my mom’s computer or any other that is not used (almost) exclusively by me, I would recommend Opera instead, as it has some advanced functionality pre-installed.

However, for Firefox in particular, let’s talk about a little-known, and entirely built-in function called “Quick Search”.

…

Continue reading ‘Browsers, and the Firefox ‘Quick Search’’

Quicksilver Introduction

Published
by
aaron
on October 18, 2007
in productivity and tools
. 0 Comments

The more I read and learn about this application the more and more I fall madly in love with it.

If you are a Mac user, and find the built in Spotlight functionality useful, you might want to consider the similar, yet infinitely more powerful application Quicksilver. Not only is it able to find, move and get deep inside items and applications by proxy (without ever having opening that item or application) it also looks a lot prettier!

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Quicksilver is not for the light at heart. Your grandmother or mother is not going to be using this in its advanced forms. The concept of this app is that it makes it possible to do away with the ‘folder’ hierarchy of data management. Think of it as Google’ing your entire life (at first).

Continue reading ‘Quicksilver Introduction’

The Delicate Art of カラオケ.

Published
by
aaron
on October 17, 2007
in japan and music
. 0 Comments

カラオケ from Japanese kara, “empty” or “void”, and ōkesutora, “orchestra”

I thought I’d touch upon a little activity I have become quite fond of here in the Japan. That activity is called カラオケ. Memorize these symbols carefully friends, for if you ever visit Japan, it will serve as an oasis of entertainment and life-long memories (as well as a cheap place to sleep!!). These symbols are the katakana for KA RA OH KE.

Karaoke is a completely different experience in Japan than from what I know back home. In Canada at least, we’re used to a karaoke machine in the corner of a bar or pub or at a wedding, etc. singers at random then preform for whatever crowd happens to occupy the large space that the machine occupies. It is definitely fun, but all together different than my experiences in Japan.

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[Half of the Osaka Training Group - from left to right: Frank, Jed, Renzo and Myself. This was our last night together as a group and we absolutely made the best of it! For more, see the ‘more photos of Aaron’ section on the facebook]

When one goes out karaoke’ing for the evening, it is typically with a group of 3 to 10+ persons. Like going out on the town back home, the group will typically first go to eat. In Japan, my favourite of the evening eating establishments is the Izakaya (of which deserves an entire post on its own, so more later) which is something like a Pub that we’d be used to back home. After the eating and a decent amount of ‘priming’, so to speak, the group will then advance to a Karaoke establishment. Karaoke bars are much like restaurants, some are large corprate chains, some are sketchy hole-in the wall spots. Both of which can be either good or bad. In my experience, the chain ‘Big Echo’ has always been an excellent time.

Continue reading ‘The Delicate Art of カラオケ.’

On Being A Foreigner

Published
by
aaron
on October 15, 2007
in japan and thoughts on...
. 5 Comments

“Don’t pretend the people that you meet are any better than the people that you know.” - from Greg MacPherson’s “Buy A Ticket“

It’s hard to describe, but there’s a certain feeling of negativity I have when I come across other foreigners in Japan. This is a really touchy and complex subject that I’m very uncomfortable even thinking about, and don’t quite know how to articulate adequately, please do not take it lightly.

It is a mix of jealousy, embarrassment, anxiety, and responsibility.

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This feeling might have something to do with the majority of foreigners I’ve come in to contact here and their blatant disregard for a kind of cultural sensitivity to Japan. ‘Cultural sensitivity’ doesn’t really describe it, more like lack of even a ’sliver of decency’. Most of the bad experiences involve foreigners are blatant tourists, or at least seem to have a ‘tourist’ mentality. If foreigners are settled in, or plan on being here for an extended period of time, it is an entirely different matter, but upon spotting one, regardless of knowing their context, I immediately assume the former.

The majority of males in particular are constantly and consistently obsessed with the very idea of the ‘asian woman’, so as to add to the upset of a disregard of cultural decency I have to tolerate the sexism and outright racism as well.
Continue reading ‘On Being A Foreigner’

Letters to Nana 1

Published
by
aaron
on October 8, 2007
in Letters to Nana
. 3 Comments

This is the underwhelming inaugural letter in the soon to be series of letters to my nana. In this introduction I talk mostly about my new-found home of hamamatsu, touch a little bit on teaching english in japan, and my plans for the ‘letters’ series in general.

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I know this is not much of a premiere episode, sound quality, um’s and ah’s, road/rail noise, but I figure I need to start somewhere.

 
icon for podpress  Letters to Nana 1 [14:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Thriftiness in Japan

Published
by
aaron
on October 5, 2007
in japan
. 5 Comments

We all know how much i love other people’s junk, and just the basic concepts of recycling, i have discovered a chain of stores in Japan that is 100x better than any Sally Ann, Value Village, or other that we’re so familiar with in North America. That chain began as “Hard Off” which sold used electronics and hardware to be repaired and reused. Since its inception, it has been extended to “Book Off”, “Mode Off”, “Garage Off”, “Off House” etc. etc. Used Books, Used Clothing, Used Car parts, Used Housewares and Furniture, Used EVERYTHING!

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This past week I purchased a used acoustic guitar for 4000Y which is about 40$ CAD, it needs a bit of truss rod adjustment, but nothing major. I’ve been playing almost every night at the station since this past week and it’s been so good to get out and have some kind of musical release. Hamamatsu especially seems teeming with musical interest and creativity. Last night, in the city center near the bus loop on the north side of the station, there were about five or six groups of four or five kids engaged in a full-on, old school hip-hop dance battle. It was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen in my life! Taped down cardboard dancemats and battery powered ghetto blasters. I wish wish wish I would’ve had my camera. From what I hear, this is a very common thing in ham. and I hope to get some photos eventually.

Besides the guitar, I’ve also purchased a Super Nintendo (or Super Famicom) as it’s know in Japan and several japanese versions of some old school games that i have back in Canada. (i’ll likely end up sending it all to Kenley for his birthday :D) an some speakers for my computer, and some video cords electronic odds and ends. SO inexpensive, and such a wonderful idea.

I have yet to find a Mode Off (the used clothing branch of the Hard Off franchise) in hamamatsu, but i will, mark my words.

here’s some further info on Hard Off:
http://www.hardoff.co.jp/

Otherwise, I’ve been doing well. Don (from Winnipeg) will be visiting for the entire month of November, and Oliver (from Manchester) will be coming for the end of December to the beginning of January. Work is going well, and in general I’m falling hard for this country! It’s so beautiful in so many ways. Both Geographically and Socio-Economically speaking, but there will be more on that later.

Who wouldn’t fall in love with a country where you can buy 1 litre cartons of pear tea. TEA made from PEARS! that’s like two of my favourite things in the world in one chillable 1L carton.

Hopefully, the first installment of letterstonana will go up tomorrow!