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2023-04-01 We apt to think that humanity seems to be oriented only in a foolish direction, but not so surprisingly. [長年日記]

I watched a program called "A Human History of Violence."

The content was the exact opposite of what I expected from the title: "Human Violence Continues to Decrease".

But I thought, 'In modern times, war has probably replaced that,' but the number of deaths of war seems also to be decreasing.

We are often misled by news of violent incidents and wars, but when viewed on the order of hundreds of years, humanity has continued to suppress its instinct for violence with the intelligence.

We apt to think that humanity seems to be oriented only in a foolish direction, but not so surprisingly

It has been a long time since I was relieved by the content of this documentary.

But I still think the title of the program is not proper.

-----

Oh, by the way, the book mentioned here has arrived.

It is a bit woeful for us, as a human race, to just be protected by a management system (Sibyla system).


2023-04-02 "My (our) inability to verbalize the "value, merits and advantages of marriage" to young people" [長年日記]

One factor (or rather, the main factor) in the decline in the birth rate is the nonmarriage rate.

The reasons for the growing number of unmarried people are clear.

"My (our) inability to verbalize the "value, merits and advantages of marriage" to young people"

-----

The other day I heard a story in the news that 'statistics show that the wellbeing of non-married women has surpassed that of married women' -- I had a hunch that 'eventually the data would come out' -- but... -- I was still shocked.

The following table shows my predictions of nonmarriage just 10 years ago.

I myself understand that "non-marriage" is a worthwhile life choice.

But at the same time, we know that "marriage" is also a worthwhile life choice.

-----

Of course, non-marriage and marriage are not determined solely by one's choice.

However, we don't need to look at the data to know that "marriage" is a terribly difficult time today.

The following graph is my prediction from 10 years ago. At a quick glance, it appears that the rate of nonmarriage is accelerating faster than I predicted.

The difficulty of marriage today is, in my experience, 'more than 10 times' as difficult as it was in my day, and I think I could beat it out of you numerically if I wanted to.

Aside from that.

-----

I have no objection of "My (our) inability to verbalize the "value, merits and advantages of marriage" to young people", however,

So, in our time, 'Did any of our predecessors properly verbalize the value of marriage?' I wondered.

No, they weren't there.

There was no one there except for one person.

-----

So how have I(we) chosen to get married?

People then, like us, could not verbalize the value of marriage, but I think we can say, "I could believe in the 'person' who were married to".

So, who is "the person"?

It was parents, seniors, the elderly, and society.

I (We) believed, for the time being, in a society that supported (or was sympathetic to) marriage.

-----

Extending this idea --

What is nonmarriage?

- Not recognize the values of those who do not wish to marry,

- Create (or leave in place) a society that fails to fulfill the desires of those who wish to marry,

- Not speak of the value of marriage in his own words,

I can only conclude that this is a "scathing criticism" of my (our) incompetence.


2023-04-03 If you ask me to name my least favorite "month" of the year, I will name "April". [長年日記]

If you ask me to name my least favorite "month" of the year, I will name "April".

- I am uncomfortable to see people who have never moved before start moving like insects.

- My mood darkens at the reality that these young men, looking nervous in their ill-fitting suits, are about to fall behind.

- I am depressed that some of these young people will stop coming to work in the not-too-distant future (around Golden Week for) and, at an even higher rate, will suffer from mental illness.

And

- It is not a pleasant feeling to see someone much younger than I am at various personnel announcements, rising to greatness and speaking from the podium about the policy for the term.

Every time I do, I hate myself for thinking, 'What was so different about him and me?'

Well, I know the reason well.

In this column, I also wrote, 'A lot of juniors who are better than you will join the company after you, and they will easily become your boss.

I know this in my head, but it's hard to see someone I actually know moving up in the world.

-----

Ebata: "I tend to think, 'What was different about him and me?'

Wife: "Needless to say, that would be 'everything'"

My wife says,

The only people who get ahead are those who benefit the company and have the chutzpah to do so."


2023-04-04 "I will not write about what I heard today for the next three years" [長年日記]

Tonight I attended the kick-off drinks for the department I am transferring to.

Even I would like to cherish milestone events.

At the close of the meeting, I was asked to say a few words.

"I will not write about what I heard today for the next three years"

-----

Just after everyone looked like, "What is he talking about?, they asked me "What is this 'talk'?" immidately. However, Smiling at them and I left soon.

In the future, I might not be called even milestone events.


2023-04-05 "No buses running late at nigh" [長年日記]

I am currently working on displaying real-time bus information using information provided by the Yokohama City Transportation Bureau.

When I resumed coding last night, the traffic data was not showing up at all.

In a panic, I reviewed the program, however I could not find anything that could cause the failure.

After much investigation, I finally found the cause of the problem by decoding the strange short text data being displayed.

"No buses running late at nigh"

-----

Well, it is my fault for coding at a time when buses are not running.

Still, it's a damn shame to think that two precious late-night hours were lost for such a trivial reason.


2023-04-06 As far as I know, most adults in the world are not 'childish'. [長年日記]

Coding (programming) can get "stuck" quite often, due to bugs or confusion about API specifications.

Specialized (cult-like) field like the one I work in, I can't even find an article explaining it.

Well, that's why I publish what I have faced the problem on my blog, without 'neatly summarizing' it.

Even my garbage notes are far better than no information whatsoever.

-----

Now, this coding "getting stuck" issue is one that I get really pissed off to deal with. In the worst case, it can take up two or three full days of my time, with zero results.

To get out of this coding quagmire, we need to have the courage to "abort" it.

However, this "abort" is really difficult.

It's called "The Curse of Sunk Costs."

-----

In cases like this, I 'email questions to the experts'.

Thus, I temporarily step away from the problem.

Of course, this is a shameless method that inconveniences others and is rude in the first place.

Therefore, I must build a relationship of trust with them on a regular basis.

What is that relationship of trust? When that person asks me a question, I have to 'disclose all the knowledge I have in the fastest and unconditional way possible".

This must be done on a daily basis.

This is called "human networking".

Exchanging business cards is not "networking".

We must keep the "blood" of proper exchange of information and trust flowing through our connections.

A "networking" without "blood" is just a "tube.

-----

Conversely -- I will not intentionally (maliciously) respond to anyone who tries to use me only when they are in trouble, as I recall.

I have cut off the "tube" itself to anyone who does not send me even a single thanks mail for the information I provide.

Well, I guess you could call such a narrow-minded person 'childish', however,

As far as I know, most adults in the world are not 'childish'.


2023-04-07 "The company that does't or cannot say "No", whenever asked to move something" [長年日記]

Seniors workers have an image of being "window-dressers".

But now I am outside the window -- an "outdoor construction site".

As a worker, when I see elderly craftsmen working hard at road and building construction sites, I want to rub shoulders with them, sing with them, and have a drink with them -- really. (I am currently in my fourth year of sobriety).

-----

To put my current job in a nutshell, I am the sole proprietor of a company called "Ebata Software Development, Inc."

However, at this company, (1) I make the order specifications myself, (2) I decide the delivery date myself, and (3) maintenance after completion depends on my own mood. From the perspective of other software outsourcing companies, this is the kind of work that would make them "furious.

Therefore, the company is not ordinary one.

-----

This situation may be brought about by a severe shortage of labor.

This is because a large number of engineers are sent in at the new hire stage, who can talk about "upstream processes" and "concepts," but have no experience in creating things.

That's why I can't let go of my "kinezuka" -- my "kinezuka" is now in tatters.

Frankly, I believed that 'when I become a senior, I will be displaced by young people who will use up all the new technology.

However, when we open the lid, we find that not only construction sites and system development, but also the whole of Japan is relying on "seniors" (a disastrous situation).

-----

Well, this is not so much "their (the newcomer's)" fault, but rather "the employer's (the company's)" fault.

It doesn't matter if it's a hobby, study, or part-time job, I still don't know how a guy who has never put together a system on his own can build things.However the application guidelines certainly say that.

Programming experience is not a requirement for employment."

Well, it is true that it is no good if one can only program, but I highly doubt that a person without even programming experience can talk about systems.

I detest excessive fieldwork, but it is very difficult for me to accept a person who has never built a system (or even a web page) from scratch by themselves as a member of the manufacturing community.

-----

So, was Ebata able to program when he joined the company?

In fact, my programming skills at the time I joined the company were about the N80-BASIC level, so called "just working".

I think the real coding started after I joined the company -- so my skills at the time I joined were the same as a young person today.

The rest is just personal ideological differences.

I believe that "not moving" is the same as "not existing".

-----

However, "Ebata Software Development" is not a company that only needs to do programming.

The company was asked to create a 20-page presentation in an hour, write a research report in a day, crush a software subcontractor's program malfunction, present at a conference, calculate budgets, place various orders, take university classes, give lectures, and so on. --

Howeve, it is

"The company that does't or cannot say "No", whenever asked to move something"


2023-04-08 I think, 'Tolerance and acceptance of English texts that you cannot read with ease is what makes us international and diverse'. [長年日記]

I'm scribbling away and writing a conference paper in English.

(For more information on my writing style, please click here.)

This is possible because of the translation engine.

-----

Once I pitched a paper to a conference after going through an outsourced English language check, from a reviewer at the conference, I was given the following message.

"Your English sentence is not good enough"

When I reported the matter to the subcontractor as a complaint, they rushed to replace the person in charge.

This subcontractor, who always comes back with the lowest rating on the quality of my English (even though they don't have to do that (maybe my company is asking them to do it)). Anyway I had felt happy for long time.

After that, however, I stopped asking for outsourced checks.

I was getting angry at the conference.

"If you don't like my English, that's fine, and you can reject it for that reason."

I felt that.

-----

It is true that the English we non-native English speakers write may be unnatural from the perspective of native speakers.

Of course, if it 'doesn't make sense', then I guess I can't help but be criticized, but I don't agree with the comment that it is 'unnatural'.

As I wrote here, I believe that there are as many varieties of English as there are countries in the world, or as many people in the world.

I think, 'Tolerance and acceptance of English texts that you cannot read with ease is what makes us international and diverse'.

-----

I thought about it from another direction.

Recently, "otherworldly fantasy" has become popular (it is so).

So, here we assume an alternate world where 'the universal language is Japanese, and in the world of academia, Japanese is the common language of research fields' -- although there does not seem to be an element of fantasy.

If a sentence was submitted that was full of kanji errors, "te ni wo ha" was a mess, and the relative pronoun "that" was translated as "that",

'As expected, this will be hard to read'

And I, as the reviewer, might responce the following,

"Your Japanese sentence is not good enough."

-----

Huh? Does that mean that the English sentence of my paper was 'that kind of English sentence'?

And now I am suddenly feeling vulnerable.


2023-04-09 "Because my past helped me" [長年日記]

For the past week or so, I have been working on a means of obtaining real-time information related to Yokohama City Transportation Bureau buses and a viewer that uses this information.

Yesterday in one day, I replaced the code of the infrastructure, uploaded it to AWS, TLS support, and finally succeeded in making it a server.

But even I was surprised, as I did not expect this to be completed in just one day(In most cases, the estimated cost will be 3 to 10 times the estimated cost until completion).

How was this miracle possible?

"Because my past helped me"

-----

I, in May 2020, replaced my website platform with WordPress.

And there I have been writing notes all over the place, ignoring genres, and publishing them in an uncontrolled manner -- as I'm sure you are well aware.

Of course, the notes are 'only for me to know', and all the prerequisites, construction environment, and directories to be specified are left undocumented.

I honestly think, 'If someone else other than me reads it, they won't understand it at all.

But only I, who have been writing, 'get it'.

This is pretty important.

-----

If it is a memo like this, it doesn't needs to be published on a blog.

However, "blogging" prevents 'misplacing'.

When I centralize my notes in WordPress, no matter where I am (office, parents' house, university, etc.), I can find my past notes with a single keyword shot.

And WordPress is a great way to display code nicely and paste information. It is also easy to add later.

Once I get used to this, making memos is just plain stupid.

-----

Of course, some of the information concerns my personal life, but I keep such information private.

WordPress, however, is not so trustworthy with this "private" feature.

So, today I found a serious security issue and was in a big hurry to deal with it (it took 4 hours of my day. It has not been completed yet).

-----

When I don't know something, I search on my blog rather than Google.

At a fairly high rate, my blog answers my questions.

I myself am relatively unconcerned about "information dissemination" and use blogs from the perspective of "getting help from the past me.

I recommend WordPress as a tool for this purpose.

Well, I only know sticky html and Wordpress as blogging platforms, so I have no way to compare them.


2023-04-10 I sometimes worry that my family might think I am a 'Nazi Party member' or a 'neo-Nazi sympathizer. [長年日記]

I watched NHK Special "Crime and Punishment of Nazi Scientists".

Well, as is clear from the title, this is a story about scientists who have not only provided scientific evidence (endorsement) but have actively cooperated with Nazi Germany's various inhumane policies.

What I thought when I watched this program was not the obvious impression that "it is not good when scientists have "justice". It was, that

"Yeah, I could easily be on your side, too."

To begin with, "Nazism" is now condemned as an "evil" that is completely denied, but at that time it was "righteous" in Germany, and even now there are not a few adherents of Nazism.

To begin with, the concepts of "justice" and "evil" change with the times and the environment.

Especially in a situation where "if you don't give the power side the benefit of the doubt, you will be killed," the concepts of "justice" and "evil" are easily transcended.

-----

I have written about this many times in the past, I thought. I have recently been suffering from "dementia-like symptoms" of repeating the same thing over and over again, so I will leave this story at this point.

Nevertheless, many of the programs I record have "Hitler," "Nazis," and "Nazism" in them.

I sometimes worry that my family might think I am a 'Nazi Party member' or a 'neo-Nazi sympathizer.

------

Just to be sure, let me reiterate,

"It's the other way around. I am standing on the side of "Fucking Nazi!""


2023-04-11 "Why don't they carry non-alcoholic beer in the station vending machines?" [長年日記]

Non-alcoholic beer is a beer-flavored carbonated water beverage, basically the same as cola or other carbonated beverages.

Of course, it has zero alcohol(*), and in light of the calories, it should be a much healthier drink than other drinking water.

(*) Some beers with less than 1% alcohol by volume are called non-alcoholic beers, but are not included here.

"Why don't they carry non-alcoholic beer in the station vending machines?"

I like to drink normally, on my way to work, to school, or in the company cafeteria.

-----

To begin with, the design of that can is confusing.

That design makes it look like you are drinking real beer.

I sometimes drive while drinking non-alcoholic beer and will probably be caught by the police in the near future (although I am sure I will be released soon).

I don't drink it as an alternative to beer, I like the unique barley taste of that beer.

And if I am going to pay for something, I want to drink what I like.

-----

I wonder if the reason why the can design is made to look exactly like real beer is because many users want to be fooled into thinking that they are drinking beer, not only in terms of taste, but also visually.

I understand how you feel.

In fact, I believe that non-alcoholic beer contributes significantly to the prevention of drunk driving.

Well, sometimes I see things I don't like.

-----

My family has become significantly less alcohol literate since I stopped drinking.

After all, there was persons who believed that "if you mix barley tea with soda water, you can make non-alcoholic beer". They were my wife and my second daughter.


2023-04-12 "If you easily use a program created by someone else, this kind of scary risk awaits you." [長年日記]

I was boldly misinterpreting http.HandleFunc() in the GO language.

In addition, I have been lying for a long period of time.

I am truly sorry -- but the fact that no one has complained about it suggests that it is now treated like the "boy who warned wolf coming" (or maybe they are just not interested in it).

I am still a researcher in this, so I try to be careful about fact-checking. Well, it is an effort goal.

-----

I was able to discover this because of a malfunctioning program I created.

In fact, I was so impressed that I was even saying to myself, 'How has it been working without any problems up to now?

I came to this discovery in an attempt to recreate what I had been using as a dedicated terminal into a public service.

But I am already spreading around a program that is misinterpreted.

-----

"If you easily use a program created by someone else, this kind of scary risk awaits you."

So, please keep that in mind.

It is never an 'excuse'.


2023-04-13 In my life, "respond with operations" is one of the most used phrases. [長年日記]

Today is the day of the presentation of the first general seminar of the new semester.

The presentation time is 7 minutes, but I ended up making 46 pages of materials.

I made it with the feel of writing column.

However, I don't have time to fix it, so I will do something about it in the presentation presentation.

In other words, we will do something with "operation".

-----

Sometimes I have needed to release a buggy program without fixing the bug.

In this case, there is a response to the user of the program to "ask not to perform this kind of operation".

This is called "responding with operation".

-----

In my life, "respond with operations" is one of the most used phrases.

Even if it's "entrance exams", "work" or "marriage."


2023-04-14 I can't imagine (even I can't) from the "solitary Ebata" of today -- the okonomiyaki was really delicious with getting together with the seminar students and making a lot of noise. [長年日記]

I once thought sincerely and seriously for about a minute about "the last meal of my life."

To my own surprise, an unexpected meal came to mind.

"Okonomiyaki" at "Okonomiyaki Jumbo" at Kyoto Tojiin Station

-----

When I was a second-year master's student (the oldest in my lab's seminar), I had taken my bike out to buy okonomiyaki for everyone remaining in the seminar room and had brought back take-out okonomiyaki for about 10 people.

I just searched the route on GoogleMap and it was quite a distance (30 minutes round trip by bike).

I remember that I went there quite often while I was in college.

I can't imagine (even I can't) from the "solitary Ebata" of today -- the okonomiyaki was really delicious with getting together with the seminar students and making a lot of noise.

-----

Today, I attended a welcome party for newcomers to the seminar at the university I currently belong, and had pizza in the seminar room with them.

About half of the attendees were international students, so I took the opportunity to go around asking them what they wanted to say to Japan/Japanese people -- as well as preparing material for my column.

I would like to talk about this later.

-----

Anyway, I watched the party, hoping that they could remember the taste of pizza as the "last meal", like me.


2023-04-15 My wife and I watched the NHK BS1 special "The Ukrainian Presidency: Military Invasion, 72 Hours of Tension, Complete Version" over three days. [長年日記]

My wife and I watched the NHK BS1 special "The Ukrainian Presidency: Military Invasion, 72 Hours of Tension, Complete Version" over three days.

The Ebata family's dinner is based on "NHK News 7.

I use the time before and after to watch another program with my wife.

In this case, we divided the program into 3 times.

-----

It's like watching a movie with a lot of great content that I can't believe happened in real life."

I completely agree with my wife's opinions.

The events of the past 72 hours, told in a matter-of-fact manner, astonished me,

There is no excessive staging, no music, no talk of made-up "love" or "justice",

Still, by the end of the program, I couldn't hold back my tears either -- not to mention my wife's.

-----

Wife: "If Japan is invaded militarily, will you fight too ?"

Ebata: "I think I will fight. In my case, the reason for fighting is not even one percent 'patriotism,' but only 100 percent 'I'm angry.

Wife: "That should be enough."

Ebata: "But in my case, I don't think I can march 2km when equipped with weapons, so I will ask to place me in cyber warfare."

-----

I thought this program was produced in the U.S., the U.K., or France, but to my surprise, it was produced by Japan's NHK.

I was kind of happy. I feel like buying lunch for everyone involved in the production.

With NHK News, NHK language programs, NHK News (earthquake bulletins, disaster), and NHK Documents, I am at least aware that I am getting my money's worth for the NHK subscription fee.

As long as NHK continues to provide documentaries of such high quality, I will continue to pay NHK subscription fees as NHK wants


2023-04-16 Last Friday midnight(early Saturday morning to be precise), I completed the code that "should be worked" I expected and went to bed. [長年日記]

Recently, I have been in trouble about this problem.

Last Friday midnight(early Saturday morning to be precise), I completed the code that "should be worked" I expected and went to bed.

If I would try to execute the program, I should have started debugging for all night, and I confirmed that I was convinced that I would get sick.

Therefore, I was very happy that I confirmed the program worked well with just two modifications.

I uploaded this program to AWS (correctly, Amazon Lightsail, a low-cost version of AWS) and continued the test run.

Anyway, I could confirm that this program is working as a server, I am going to ask my workers and students to do the test run.

-----

The reason I am trying to make the server, is not for work but for my interest.

No one ordered me to do that, it is just that my intuition is telling me "this wil make my work easier in the future"


2023-04-17 In order to understand this diversity, I have to enter the "idol chase" myself. [長年日記]

We live in a world that must recognize diversity, but it is difficult for individuals to understand diversity, and even more difficult for society to recognize it.

Minorities will need a persistent, long-term (quarter century to century order) struggle against public incomprehension.

However, there is a quick way for individuals (x society) to recognize diversity.

It is to be a minority party.

-----

I was sitting on the aisle side of a three-seat seat on the Shinkansen bullet train on my way home from a business trip.

A burly-looking man about my age, seated by the window, was looking intently at several snapshots.

When I stood up to use the restroom, I happened to see that picture.

It was a picture of the man and a teen-like girl dressed in an idol costume, smiling together.

If only the girls weren't wearing idol costumes, they were clearly parent and child.

The "old man on a bullet train, chasing after idols" is no longer an uncommon existence -- in anime and novels in my mind.

However, when I see a live person in real life, I am a bit surprised or scared -- this is my small human capacity, I guess you could say.

If I could see a middle-aged to early-aged man looking at snapshots of himself with his idols once a month, I would not "put off" as often.

But it will take a long time from now, I thought.

-----

And I thought that,

In order to understand this diversity, I have to enter the "idol chase" myself.

So, in a nutshell, I have it on my to-do list for life, but at this point, it is about at the bottom of that list.


2023-04-18 I am proud to say that this is probably the first "diet" in the world that is linked to the global economy. [長年日記]

I have continued to observe Japan (in the second half of its high economic growth period) and its subsequent decline.

In particular, the sharp rise in prices around the oil crisis (1973) made me realize, even as a child, that something terrible was happening.

Still, it does not go beyond the level of 'somehow I had a sense of it that way.

-----

I am now 'really feeling' the high prices.

- Toast bread is small.

- The price of spinach is wildly fluctuating.

- Onions and leeks are often unavailable

- Lately, I have been eating only "white meat" instead of "chicken thighs".

-----

Therefore I would like to advocate a new diet.

"Inflation diet"

I am proud to say that this is probably the first "diet" in the world that is linked to the global economy.


2023-04-19 "After all, terrorism of dignitaries is the fastest way" [長年日記]

"Conspiracies and terrorism cannot, after all, reverse the course of history. But they can stall it."(From "The Legend of the Galactic Heroes," Sogen SF Bunko, vol. 7, p. 284)

Admiral Yang may be right in the long run.

In the short time we are alive, however, this may not appear to be the case.

-----

First, at least our state, by law, does not tolerate violence in any form.

(except for violence that is detailed and strictly controlled by an organization defined by law -- a violent apparatus (police, Self-Defense Forces))

In our country, which is governed by the rule of law, terrorism of any kind will not be tolerated.

-----

However, terrorism can bring the issue to the forefront.

The "terrorist murder of the former prime minister" and the "Unification Association" are typical examples.

This "Unification Association" issue had been inactive for 40 years since I first learned about it, but the terrorist attack was the catalyst that set it all in motion.

And maybe this is the last time -- I am very concerned that public attention to this issue seems to be waning lately.

I am shocked that this "Unification Association issue" was not (seemingly) an issue in the current local elections.

Aside from that.

-----

Recently, another terrorist attack targeted the incumbent prime minister.

The motive for the crime is not yet clear.

However, at least in one respect, the perpetrators of the terrorist attacks have achieved their goal: He has been able to impose their point of view on society.

These realities make me (Ebata) feel foolish for just repeating my assertions on my blog.

And I think that there are quite a few people who think like I do, besides me.

A person who think that "I just can make a flame on SNS. Even if I demonstrate in the streets, it won't make the news. I don't have the charisma, logic, or oratory skills to get enough supporters to make the news", come to think

"After all, terrorism of dignitaries is the fastest way"

I think it is, well, normal to think that.

-----

I had a senior colleague once tell me, 'In principle, there is no way to prevent suicide bombers.

Unfortunately, I can't think of a solution to this.


2023-04-20 "I can tell if you are popular or not by your presentation" [長年日記]

"I can tell if you are popular or not by your presentation"

My assertion has been further confirmed by watching a student's presentation recently.

-----

- They don't even memorize their phrases, just print out and read them out loud.

- Thye are just reading the description of the projected papers as it is.

- No drawings in the papers.

- Explanation lacks verisimilitude.

In short, they are not making their case to their listeners, and they are not making any effort to help them understand.

I don't think such a guy would be popular.

-----

I have told this story to my daughter before, and she criticized me a lot, so I will stop here.


2023-04-21 He innocently said, "I don't even know the difference between chicken, pork, and beef meat" -- clearly, that's worse than "mother's boy " or "pedophile". [長年日記]

My wife is returning home for a week to care for my mother-in-law.

So, naturally, I am doing the housework that my wife usually does for me.

-----

By the way, when I go on overseas business trips, I also minimize my luggage based on three sets of underwear as my standard of clothing, and only carry-on luggage.

Because I am afraid of lost baggage.

When traveling abroad, washing my underwear is extremely easy.

Plunge my underwear into the bathtub and take a bath together with my underwear.

And then I wash my underwear with soap -- and then I wash my body with my underwear.

If you ask whichi is dirtier, my underwear or me, it is my body, so this is a reasonable win-win.

Then, wring out the underwear and hang them in the bathtub or room to dry. That's all.

After two days of drying, the underwear will be dry.

Hence, three sets of underwear are sufficient.

This is "SDG-style laundry" that can be done in the shortest amount of time without using extra water.

-----

In addition to the above,

- All ingredients that are about to go bad are plunged into the curry and eaten up.

- Freeze food scraps in the freezer and put them out on garbage day.

Various types of expertise, such as above.

These were acquired during six years of student boarding and lodging.

-----

My wife and I have one unspoken rule for anyone (regardless of gender) who wishes to marry our daughter.

The first is "to have a proven track record of establishing a one-person household".

We thought, "we can't give my daughter to a person who is incapable of living independently," but recently I learned a startling fact.

I learned that there was a guy (man) who lived alone for years but could not cook a single meal for himself.

He innocently said, "I don't even know the difference between chicken, pork, and beef meat" -- clearly, that's worse than "mother's boy " or "pedophile".

To be honest, I thought, 'This is a horrible coming out.

------

I have offered several views of my own on the recent rise in the rate of nonmarriage.

However, I keenly felt that the 'lack of life skills' mentioned above was alson one of the major factors.


2023-04-22 So now, terrorism in our country has gone through small group terrorism by social networking cults and has now reached the unit of individual terrorism. [長年日記]

I have no desire to "basically understand others". I have given up from the beginning.

Although "give up" is often used in a negative sense, I believe it is important to "give up" for a diverse and symbiotic society.

I would appreciate it if you could read my article "Mr.Ebata's Small Talk "Wall"" for more information on the above.

-----

The motive of the perpetrators of the recent terrorist attack on the incumbent prime minister seems to be slowly coming to light, however, to be honest, the followig is my impression.

"I don't understand him at all"

For a long time now, I have been asking myself, 'What could have led to such a thought and such an action against the perpetrators of terrorist attacks?"

At the top of the list is the "Tel Aviv Airport Shooting" by the JRA.

-----

Recently, social networking sites have become small groups, cults and terrorists.

Please read page 2 of this column.

-----

So now, terrorism in our country has gone through small group terrorism by social networking cults and has now reached the unit of individual terrorism.

And it is almost certain that the cause of such individual terrorism is 'loneliness and isolation'.

In particular, the motive for this terrorist attack appears to be 'a poor and childish motive that would fly away in a flash if we were in a real society and able to communicate with others' -- (I'd like to summarize after seeing a few more).

I have also discussed the negative aspects of loneliness

-----

It has been a long time coming, so I will summarize.

(1) "I don't understand others."

(2) "I don't understand the thinking of terrorists at all, so to speak."

(3) "Many of the thoughts of individual terrorists are so poorly thought out that they can be broken only by a degree of communication."

(4) "Hence, 'loneliness' appears to be the primary factor generating the individual tet list."

'Loneliness' is bad in its own right, not to mention bad in that if left unchecked, we could become victims of terrorism.

-----

So who is causing the "loneliness" problem - the person oneself, of course.

However, if we dismiss this as a 'personal problem', then 'personal terrorism' will continue.

That is not desirable for us.

Loneliness may need to be crushed, even if it oversteps the person's privacy.

-----

One idea I have now arrived at is the introduction of that "Tonari Gumi" system during the Pacific War.

I'm a little regretful that I've got at this unpleasant idea.

I am on the side of the "solitary", and I am on the side of resistance to that policy.


2023-04-23 "Bilingual Simultaneous Use Communication" [長年日記]

I am now a member of a new team this year.

The team includes several people whose official language is English (not their native language).

I am surprised that everyone on this team speaks English normally, but more than that, I am surprised -- or rather, astonished -- by the new form of communication.

"Bilingual Simultaneous Use Communication"

Native Japanese speakers speak Japanese, English officials speak English, and

"Almost perfect communication"

has been completed.

-----

This is what "eye-opnening" means.

There are many cases in which a person can speak well but has difficulty speaking (I believe the opposite is almost never the case).

Our goal is not to use English or Japanese, but 'communication'.

The approach can be anything, as long as that objective can be achieved.

Of course, this requires mutual "hearing" between Japanese and English, but conversely, "hearing" alone is enough.

To be honest, I am stunned by the fact

"I (Ebata) did not come to this way"

-----

Come to think of it, I have seen a lot of Japanese who say, 'I can hear English, but I can't speak it well'.

There were also certainly many people, even from outside Japan, who said, 'I can hear Japanese, but I can't speak it well.

So, I should have realized this approach, but I think that our (our) 'English supremacy' mindset has prevented us from thinking this way.

-----

This method is, neither,

"If you're in Japan, use Japanese"

nor

"English is the default language"

This is a new paradigm.

And I think it is important to expand this method as a new form of communication that "should" exist in the next generation.

If your team has this operation, we would like you to keep sending it out.


2023-04-24 Wife: "Well, why don't you go to the robbers and ask them, 'Why didn't you "code" instead of "play"?' [長年日記]

My wife is back home -- I feel like the air in the house has started to flow.

When I talk to my wife about these things, she complains, 'Am I a housekeeper?

It is still nice to have someone to talk to in the house.

If my wife passes away first and I am "isolated", I will be living in a house with the air stopped for a long time -- which is pretty scary.

Still, I think I am more tolerant of "isolation" than my wife.

In order to fulfill my wife's request, "I will live longer than my wife," I am now living my life "without" alcohol, cigarettes, women, gambling, and everything else.

-----

Ebata: "Sometimes we hear on the news that people 'wanted money to play with, so they robbed people,' but I don't understand the reason."

Wife: "Really?"

Ebata: "Why don't they just not play?"

Wife: "Well, what should they do?"

Ebata: "Study"

When I said this, my wife burst out laughing.

----

Ebata: "There are so many things to do, like coding, writing columns, coming up with ideas for patents, etc."

Wife: "Well, why don't you go to the robbers and ask them, 'Why didn't you "code" instead of "play"?'


2023-04-25 'When I finally realized what I had to do, it was something very small and basic.' [長年日記]

'A huge detour, leading to an awfully small truth.' No, no, I am not trying to tell a "good story".

For the past few days, I have been trying to create a functional module in a language (Python) that I am not familiar with, copying from scratch many programs available on the Internet, with success and failure.

'When I finally realized what I had to do, it was something very small and basic.'

This is quite often the case.

I am a bit relieved now that I have crossed one mountain.

-----

There may be people who can "see the right answer" from the beginning, but I don't seem to be one of those people.

This 'low & incompetence' of mine continues to consume a huge amount of my time, but I believe I can also think positively that 'I don't have time to feel bored'.

-----

By the way, I like the opening of the anime "Skip and Loafer," which started this season (jump to YouTube).

The main character, a "clunky elite girl," is mildly good.

I think that the dance part in the latter half must have been traced from the actual dancers.

The movement of the clothes is very realistic, I thought.

I would like to see a video of the making of the film.


2023-04-26 Anyway, I honestly think it is a bit naive to estimate that 'killing bad people (but by our standards of value) will turn things around'. [長年日記]

We civilians talk about 'why don't you just assassinate the Russian president?

I understand their feelings, but I think they are missing the point of view of what happens after the assassination of the Russian president.

For example, there should be a "No. 2" who is a moderate, civil-rights international reconciliation advocate who is opposed to the dictatorial president and who is supported by the public.

However, such a person, it would be natural to be removed from the line, and if he/she should have had to be purged.

Alternatively, the domestic situation should be one in which civilians are being slaughtered by the police or army and the dictator is completely turned against the people.

In addition, the best scenario is for the dictator to be executed by the people within the country.

Such favorable conditions, however, are not easy to realize.

After the assassination of a dictator -- as far as I know -- civil wars and terrorist attacks cause domestic casualties on an unprecedented scale, and those who advocate the establishment of a religious state like IS begin to dominate and terrorism spreads to other countries.

Anyway, dictatorships are terribly difficult to maintain after they are destroyed.

-----

In the first place, armed intervention from outside the country, including assassination, constitutes interference in internal affairs and invasion.

The current invasion of Ukraine is also the reason why NATO forces cannot invade Russia because of the above major principles (and of course, the nuclear threat).

The NATO organization is a military alliance designed to avoid this problem of interference in internal affairs and aggression -- "If one of the allies is attacked, all of the allies are considered to have been attacked.

Incidentally, the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty has the same structure.

For example, if Fort Collins, Colorado is attacked, our Self-Defense Forces, as an ally, "can participate" in the war.

However, in the case of Japan, the Self-Defense Forces cannot use force for any purpose other than territorial defense under the provisions of the Constitution -- and since this makes no sense for a military alliance, the "right of collective self-defense" was created (I will skip this topic today).

Anyway, to be frank, Ukraine joining NATO is certainly one of the worst of nightmares for Russia.

Regarding this, the BS Premium "Russia: The Origins of the Clash" was interesting.

-----

The same is true of "Why Don't You Just Assassinate the Head of North Korea?

That place is geopolitically located in a messy place.

Bordered by Russia, China, and South Korea, China and South Korea in particular find that monarchical socialist country to be a hassle at heart.

The U.S. has been fooled by that country many times, but since it serves to keep the troublesome powers (Russia and China) at bay, it will not seriously attempt a military attack.

It would be better to remain as they are now than to become desperate and attack the U.S. mainland with missiles.

-----

'If you assassinate the General Secretary of China' is no longer good enough, no questions asked.

I can easily predict that this will be a terrible tragedy, far beyond my imagination.

-----

Anyway, I honestly think it is a bit naive to estimate that 'killing bad people (but by our standards of value) will turn things around'.


2023-04-27 That reminds me, I think Anno's best anime is not "Eva something" or "Shin something", but "Boyfriend and Girlfriend". [長年日記]

I recently described a bit about the anime "Skip and the Loafer".

That reminds me, I think Anno's best anime is not "Eva something" or "Shin something", but "Boyfriend and Girlfriend"

I think there are a few -- or rather, none at all -- who agree with this opinion of mine.


2023-04-28 A drunken boss brags and lectures you endlessly from the start of a drinking session to its breakup - who would want to go to such a "hell"? [長年日記]

I, basically, don't give advice to people.

Advice is advice, a just phrase, an empty sound signal without substance.

It is not the "act of helping" itself.

Since I was young, I have been really fed up with receiving unsolicited advice from people I didn't ask for, one-sidedly.

However, as I reflect on myself as a senior, I know that I am more likely to give this 'unsolicited advice' to others.

Therefore, I try to monitor myself.

Well, in my case, I have a "blog," which is an unspecified device to transmit information to a large number of people, so I can say that I am fulfilling that desire.

However, I believe that my blog is distinct from the above 'unsolicited advice' because 'those who find it offensive should not read the blog'.

-----

Although it is very rare, I do get 'advice that I am asked for'.

Basically, I try to respond when asked, but even then I try to keep my advice within the scope of what I am asked to do.

I monitor myself to make sure that the topic does not evolve into something completely different, or into bragging about myself, much less preaching.

-----

I have two methods of self-monitoring.

(1) Set an end time.

(2) Control the conversation so that the length of time me and the other person are talking is "equally" long.

For me, the difficult part is (2).

I have a lot of material -- roughly 4,000 blogs (10 years worth), 300 columns, and about 200 commercial columns. So, I tend to talk about things you don't want to hear about.

Therefore, the time limit in (1) is important to control this.

-----

As I am sure you can understand, one of the reasons I avoid drinking parties is this.

A drunken boss brags and lectures you endlessly from the start of a drinking session to its breakup - who would want to go to such a "hell"?

Well, now that I am a respectable senior citizen, I don't think I will have to go through this now.

But, on the other hand, I could be as ugly as these bosses.

If I were to make such an abomination,' I will say, 'I would be tempted to shoot myself in the head with a pistol.

-----

You already know what I mean.

It means there are persons who make me think, 'Take a pistol and shoot yourself in the head'.

And so I am now soaking up the happiness of the last three years of the Corona Disaster, when I did not have a drinking party.


2023-04-29 I looked into the recent topic of "having an AI draw a picture". [長年日記]

I have just finished writing a column on a request from the editorial staff of EE Times Japan.

Well, I can do writing. Drawings can be made. I can manage to develop the reviews I get into a conversational style.

The problem is the illustration.

The time I spend on illustrations has become uncharacteristically long these days.

-----

I looked into the recent topic of "having an AI draw a picture".

I have looked it up on YouTube, etc., but it is something different.

In my case, I want a picture that matches the content of the column, so from the beginning, the concept, the characters I want, and the composition are clear.

There is no need for beautiful backgrounds or various color effects.

It can be just an illustration with line drawings and colors on it.

However, the illustration does not turn out the way I want it to.

It is very frustrating.

If I didn't have to be extravagant, I might be able to create (x draw) illustrations faster, but I want to be extravagant.

-----

Recently, a few young researchers have been showing up here and there to draw illustrations of light line drawings with a little bit of color in company documents.

The material with its line-drawing illustrations is terribly compelling.

I feel like an idiot for having worked so hard to describe the system configuration diagram.

-----

There is a crowdsourcing service online that will draw illustrations for you. Prices are generally reasonable.

I think you could ask the person who provides that service to create an illustration of my column, along with a draft of my column and my wishes.

However, I want to continue to make the illustrate of my columns with my own hands.


2023-04-30 "There is nothing we want to do" [長年日記]

In an interview program, actor Yo Oizumi once said,

"I am empty and there is nothing I want to do"

" I am just happy to do what I think someone wants me to do, and that makes me happy"

I remember hearing him say this on the program, and it really hit me.

-----

I had a feeling that I had written a few stories about this, so I checked my past diaries.

- "Originally, we do not have "I want to do it myself"

- Don't give up on your dreams.

"There is no way to live freely ..."

Yes, I knew I was writing a lot.

------

"There is nothing we want to do"

I think that keeping this phrase as a default is an honest and easy way to live.