Trains on Nanikore

Nexus 7 (2012)

Tue, 25 Dec 2012 02:43:13 +0000

So last month I bought my first tablet - a Google/Asus Nexus 7.

There hasn’t been much in the way of gadget updates here in a while, due mainly to a lack of necessity and general interest to be honest, but one of my personal situations, is that I have a decent commute to deal with on a daily basis, and I’ve wanted something with a slightly larger screen to watch documentaries than my phone, and read some textbooks on which are mainly .pdf based, and thus a little too complex for my normal Kindle Reader. One thing I have learned from my Kindle though, is that that form factor is great for reading whilst sitting or standing on the train.

The iPad never really grabbed me for this task, just feeling that bit too bulky and heavy, and judging from my fellow commuters, that must have been right as there aren’t many people with them on my JR line.

Previous Android tablets just seemed to lack a certain polish to me, but when the Nexus 7 came out, it piqued my interest, so I put a bit of money aside, and picked up the 32GB version (24,800yen / ~290USD/ ~ 180GBP) the same weekend the iPad Mini came out - though that was 13,000yen more!

The Tegra 3 based hardware is excellent, and rugged - the rear mounted speaker is surprisingly good for film watching and podcasts, and the sound quality via the headphone socket seems decent. The tablet is snappy, and media playback of even 720p material on the 1280x800 display looked fantastic. There’s no point me going overboard on details here - you can easily pull reviews of this thing off the web. One the hardware side though, note that you don’t get headphones or much else with this - just a USB power adapter and micro USB cable.

My only previous Android experience had been on a phone I borrowed, so I was essentially new to the Android system. It probably took as long to figure out as an iOS device really, from scratch. The Google Play store isn’t bad but it takes a little getting used the scary sounding access rights the apps ask for, but basically this is just putting up front what iOS apps are doing anyway. As for finding the apps, I’m still figuring out some equivalents - all the main social apps are there, but I’m still looking for a podcatcher like Downcast, though I’m currently testing a few out. I have to say though, being able to just install stuff on this thing after plugging it in, and not have to mess around with iTunes feels great, though you now sort-of have to manage the files. Also note you need a special app installed on a Mac to mount it currently ( Android File Transfer).

In summary then, the Nexus 7 has exceeded my expectations - it’s very smooth and reliable, has decent battery life, and can survive being the recipe guide during Sunday Dinner preparations and has survived both kids abusing it. (Note that for novels, I still use the Kindle)

Looking For a Podcast for the Commute?

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:33:24 +0000

A couple of years ago, I wrote about a few podcasts I was idly listening to in an airport, but I thought I’d look through my current list of podcasts today, and pick out five completely different ones to form the ’ Recommendation of the Month’ post.

I commute for a total of two hours a day, so I like to make use of the time and get through some podcasts which entertain and inform and are generally diverse in content. In that previous post, I mentioned ’ You Look Nice Today’ which is still available, but seems to be on some kind of hiatus, PC Perspective - a PC hardware podcast, and ’ This Week in Startups’ - those last two are still on the go.

So to add to these for June’s recommendation:

The No Agenda Show - Decent news analysis, crackpot theories, and general entertainment, this podcast is in turns interesting and hilarious.

Windows Weekly - this is pretty much the last Twit.tv podcast I listen to (along with Security Now sometimes) as the others seem to have dropped off badly in analysis quality, which makes them much harder to listen to. Paul Thurrott, despite being a Microsoft focussed journalist, does at least attempt accurate and balanced news coverage, and has a dry wit I actually like in a journalist.

BBC Friday Comedy Podcast - a rotating selection of BBC Radio 4 comedy programmes as podcasts, including greats such as The Now Show, Have I Got News For You and others. As a Radio 4 listener, I really like listing to these, just don’t laugh too much on the train.

Sword and Laser Podcast - a podcast from a book reading community, essentially covering fantasy and sci-fi books, interviews with authors, wrap-ups and recommendations. As a keen reader of any sort of books, I’ve enjoyed this, and been put on to some good books because of it.

DH Unplugged - This is a tangential one for me, as it mainly focusses on the business markets and economics, mainly in the US, and perhaps because of that there are some interesting anecdotes and news stories.

There are of course several others - a project management podcast, a paranormal podcast, and a few other technical ones, but these are likely 5 people might like.

I don’t actually listen to any Japan based podcasts regularly right now - I did listen to GaijinKampai a while back, but it’s anchored out of the USA, and is really just about JPop, and increasingly KRock, which aren’t really my things for a podcast.

I do listen to the Japan Talk / Japundit podcast now and then, but it’s mainly a news oriented podcast rather than a discussion, and since I do try to keep up with Japanese news, it’s not that essential, but interesting nonetheless.

If there are any others anyone would recommend, let me know in the comments - aside from the language ones - news and punditry to keep me going on JR!

Original Comments

Comments from the original WordPress blog post.

Gen Kanai — 2011-07-03

My favorite podcasts:

NPR: Planet Money American Public Media’s ‘Marketplace’ Public Radio International’s ‘The World’ the Sinica podcast is excellent if you want to stay in touch with whats new in China http://popupchinese.com/lessons/sinica

gurahamu — 2011-07-05

Thanks Gen - I’ll check these out of the next couple of weeks. I listened to planet money last night whilst tidying up my computer cupboard, and it was definitely interesting. Cheers

Gen Kanai — 2011-07-05

If I can recommend a few of the Planet Money podcasts they would be:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2009/02/hear_japans_lost_lesson.html

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/04/21/134830408/why-japan-will-bounce-back

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/02/11/133687935/the-friday-podcast-michael-lewis-financial-disaster-travel-journalist

Edward — 2011-07-05

Thanks much for the mention. Really appreciate it.

gurahamu — 2011-07-07

No problem Edward; out of curiosity, have you considered doing a panel discussion episode of the show?

Edward — 2011-07-16

A panel discussion would be fun and informative, but I am always put off by the logistics. Though SKYPE has improved a lot recently there is still getting all of the people involved together at the same time, etc. because, as a translator, my schedule is pretty unpredictable.

However, I have had guests in the past, and doing so again is just a matter of doing what it takes to do it. Let me work on it and see what happens.

Dead Head Train

Thu, 22 Jun 2006 10:12:27 +0000

When I was coming back from Narita airport a couple of weeks ago, I was waiting for the Narita Express train for Tokyo Station when I saw another train mentioned on the information board which looked far more interesting: Dead Head Train!

Long weekend in kanagawa

Mon, 19 Jul 2004 14:25:10 +0000

Not many people may know, but my first two years in Japan were spent in the prefecture to the southwest of Tokyo, called Kanagawa. I was teaching English on the JET program (1996-98) in 4 Junior high Schools in the sleepy little town of Isehara. I had a great time of it (which maybe explains why I came back eventually), but alas tales from those two years could fill a book or two, let alone a blog posting.

Anyway, since this was a long weekend, we thought we’d spend Sunday and Monday out and about in Kanagawa-ken, not only because I used to live there, but so did my partner, in Yokohama. We decided to take a Romance Car on the Odakyu line from Shinjuku, just over an hour to Hon-Atsugi. This is an express train which also lets you perform the important task of sitting down for the journey. Many of the older Romance Car trains are pink, but sadly many of the newer ones, though more comfortable and quiet, are a more sedate grey. These trains essentially connect Tokyo/Shinjuku to Odawara, Hakone and the beach at Enoshima.

Once deep into Kanagawa, we went to check in to our hotel in the growing town of Ebina which in the 2 years since I was last there has received a HUGE new shopping complex bolted onto the still rather quaint station building which looks kind of odd now. The new shopping centre though wouldn’t look out of place in Odaiba or Makuhari though - it’s really amazing - it’s own multiplex cinema, and even a toy-train for the children, and a few tired adults. Yes, I kind of missed the quiet old Ebina we used to hang around in, but I suppose it’s a step up for the town compared to it’s neighbours though. Aside from the station not really fitting, the across of rice fields a few hundred metres away also tell the truth - this is a dormitory/apartment town in the middle of a rural farming area.

So what of Isehara? Well, I have to say that not much has changed - a few new buildings, but it seems as sleepy as ever, which is no bad thing. Indeed one of the nice things was that the last time I went there in 2002 many old shops had become car parks (truly a sign of local business death), but now many of these tarmac graveyards are being converted into business premises again, which is a good thing. The old Denny’s I used to sleep in is still there, my old apartment is still there! The rather bizarre ‘Little House on the Prairie’ church is still there. And yes, the video rental shop with ‘Video Lental’ written on it’s roof is still there, as are it’s paintings to advertise Rocky 3 and Star Wars. I always enjoyed the town, and hope it flourishes. Isehara also stands at the foot of the majestic Oyama, which rises up to meet the sun and guarantees amazing sunsets. I took some pics, which I’ll try to get in the gallery as soon as possible.

On Monday, from Ebina, we went on to Yokohama, and saw my partner’s old apartment building, which required a lengthy walk uphill in the heat, but it has a great view over Yokohama, and fortunately a pleasant breeze. We spent a bit of time around Yokohama, having a look around the Minato 21 Mirai area, including the new Queen’s shopping centre, which is right next to the Landmark Tower shopping centre, which has resulted in one huge shopping centre. This one has a nice twist though - as the underground train is in the B3F (that’s third basement floor) the architects have made that a feature, so one of the the open areas between floors extends from the roof right down to the train, so everyone can watch the trains coming and going.

All in all then the weekend featured a lot of walking, some shopping, and eating, and I have to say that it made a nice change not to be doing that in Tokyo. The theme by default was definitely on shopping centres as more ‘out of town’ style ones open in Japan, and it’s interesting to see how these are melding in, especially in areas where the main access point is still by train (certainly the Yokohama one was). The other theme of late has been watching films in cinemas, but I think I’ll save that for a later post.