James' Empty Blog

[jules' pics] 1/06/2010 10:04:00 PM

2010-01-07T15:04:00.001+09:00

sunrise from Kamakura beach, originally uploaded by julesberry2001.

Japanese New Year is more about sunrise than midnight. This pic was actually taken on the2nd Jan, but that's accurate enough for this astrophysicist who's just happy her CCD was measuring light from the intended star.

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Posted By jules to jules' pics at 1/06/2010 10:04:00 PM

We have contact!

2010-01-07T09:48:00.002+09:00

Since Hank asked, and I've not seen anyone else doing it, here's some translation of what I can make out from the Japanese video (starting about 23s in)

"hai, tadaima sesshoku"
"We have contact"
"AG-go o honsen no mae tskukimashite, AG-go sesshoku shimashita"
"The AG appeared in front of us, we made contact"
"AG-go o honsen no mae detekimashita, AG-go sesshoku shimashita"
"The AG came out in front of us, we made contact"
[something a bit unclear, maybe "honsen o butsuk-" = "They hit our ship", cut off part way through when he realised how silly that is]
"Koukou o jama shimashite, AG-go sesshoku shimashita"
"There was an intrusion into our path, we hit the AG."

I think. My Japanese is pretty awful though so you have been warned!

Well it looked like a whale...

2010-01-06T18:52:00.007+09:00

...sleek and black and with fin-like things...

So it's excusable really that the Japanese whalers should have rammed the Ady Gil, knocking a chunk off its bow.

That picture is a screenshot from the video which can be found here. I won't speculate on the boating laws that might apply in this case, but it is not clear to me that the Ady Gil was actually stationary (as Sea Shepherd have claimed). It was basically idling at the start of the clip, but seems to start generating a significant wake a few seconds before the impact. Hopefully there will be enough hot air generated over this to end the current cold spell.

Having seen a couple more videos, it is pretty clear that the Japanese boat turned sharply towards the Ady Gil and rammed it at high speed. See the boat spinning round at the start of this video

also confirmed by the changing angle in the first few seconds of this:

EGU Elections: Candidates for 2011-2013

2010-01-06T18:01:00.001+09:00

I knew I hadn't been paying attention, but I have a bit of an excuse for my confusion. It turns out that there are actually two sets of elections concurrently, with the EGU also choosing their new President and General Secretary. Unfortunately in this case the candidates and their statements (but not their supporting CVs) are hidden behind my personal ballot paper key for the vote, so you'll have to take my word for it that there are only 2 candidates for Prez: Donald Bruce Dingwell (cv) and Fausto Guzzetti (cv), and just one for Gen Sec, Hans Thybo (cv).

To be honest I'm not sure that any of them are mad enough to do justice to the position, but one of them does look quite well suited. The election closes on the 10th Jan.

[jules' pics] 1/05/2010 08:32:00 PM

2010-01-06T13:32:00.001+09:00

gingerbread latte, originally uploaded by julesberry2001.

When Sutaba (Starbucks) opens on the morning of 26th December no more can joyous Christmas music be heard, and the trio of stupid yet delightful coffees (Gingerbread, Cherry Mocha, Caramel Eclair) are replaced with three austere teas.

The reason is that New Year is "holy", and to be taken seriously, while Christmas is just a bit of fun.

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Posted By jules to jules' pics at 1/05/2010 08:32:00 PM

Shocking levels of racism in Japanese hotels

2010-01-05T18:30:00.000+09:00

From Debito, here is an utterly jaw-dropping level of officially-sanctioned racism.

The Fukushima prefectural tourist information website list of hotels has an explicit categorisation according to whether foreigners are permitted or not. And 318 of the hotels say "no gaijin" or "外国人の受入：不可"! This is about 15% of all lodgings. Another 15% allow foreigners, and the majority don't say one way or the other.

This discrimination is actually illegal, despite Japan (uniquely in the "developed" world, though in the context of human rights it is not clear that the term should apply here anyway) having no laws against racial discrimination. As Debito mentions in the post, there are some laws concerning hotel management that strictly limit the ability of a hotel to turn away customers - and these reasons do not include their nationality or race.

What's worse, this is more than a year after the Fukushima Tourist Information Agency agreed that the discrimination was clearly illegal and said they would get it removed from the web site. In fact the number of explicitly racist hotels has increased about 10-fold in this time.

Remember that the JGovt has not so long ago stated that it was inconceivable that they could take any more action to reduce racial discrimination. Obviously even enforcing their own laws is beyond their wit and imagination.

[I'm not sure if I have told this story before, but we were once turned away from a hotel in the Fuji Five Lakes area. However this was early enough in our time here, and my Japanese was sufficiently poor, that I cannot be quite sure that the hotel really was refusing us illegally for being foreign. It does seem somewhat implausible, however, that the hotel was really closed for business since it had an open front door and someone on reception. At the time we were a bit tired and wet and went next door rather than trying to argue the point.]

AGU Elections: Candidates for 2010–2012

2010-01-05T13:09:00.003+09:00

Does anyone have anything good or bad to say about the candidates? I'm tempted to abstain on the basis that I know nothing about most of them (and very little about any). But if there is some reason to prefer someone over another, I'm all ears. In my (still very limited, but not so limited as with the AGU) experience of EGU officers they are mostly as mad as a box of frogs, in the nicest possible way. There does seem to be a tendency for some geologists, and solar/upper-atmosphere people, to lean towards the denialist angle on climate change. However I wouldn't want to prejudge anyone unfairly merely due to their field.

[jules' pics] 1/04/2010 07:46:00 PM

2010-01-05T12:46:00.001+09:00

Descent from Tonotake, originally uploaded by julesberry2001.

Another photo from the Tonotake trip, taken as the sun was going down on 2009.

The blog fashion seems to be to make a post containing multiple links to favourites from the year, but all you need to do is click once to see my 12 favourite pics of 2009.

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Posted By jules to jules' pics at 1/04/2010 07:46:00 PM

[jules' pics] 1/03/2010 08:09:00 PM

2010-01-04T13:09:00.001+09:00

Yokohama from Tonotake, originally uploaded by julesberry2001.

We have climbed Tonotake several times before but, due to snow, cloud and rain, were never before aware of the view from the top: a panorama of pretty much the whole Kanto Plain. This photo shows a small part of the view. The tall building in the group roughly in the middle is Japan's tallest building, the Landmark Tower. Out of the shot, Tokyo lies to the left and the Shonan coast to the right. Kamakura would also be to the right, but was not visible due to its own protective ring of hills. To see more detail click on the pic, and look at the larger sizes of the shot on flickr. I might be just not very good and taking pictures but I think the brain is much cleverer than the camera for views like this, comprehending a much wider field of view, removing the haze, and making sense of tiny details.

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Posted By jules to jules' pics at 1/03/2010 08:09:00 PM

[jules' pics] 1/03/2010 12:13:00 AM

2010-01-03T17:14:00.001+09:00

On the way up Tonotake, originally uploaded by julesberry2001.

On New Year's Eve we climbed a little mountain (Tonotake ~1500m). This is the view of another hill, from a rest stop along the way.

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Posted By jules to jules' pics at 1/03/2010 12:13:00 AM

Posts of the year

2010-01-03T15:59:00.005+09:00

Seems like the meme du jour is to not bother blogging anything new but just to repost something the readers have already seen. So without further ado, I make no claim to these being the "best", but they are probably the ones I most enjoyed writing. My list goes up to 13 of course. Hope you enjoy reading them as you pretend to get back to work on Monday morning :-)

Corbynwatch 2008: The Verdict. I see there a brief reference to a 2009 forecast, and the provisional figures suggest that Corbyn got that wrong too - it looks likely to be the 5th warmest year on record.

Hansen's El Nino forecast reprised. Hansen gets it right, Pielke gets it wrong. Same old same old.

Out of court settlement in Pinder v Fox? After a long struggle, Russ gets his just desserts (perhaps).

Reduced sickness in commuter cyclists. On your bike, cagers.

Ignobel research on disease transmission. Japanese schoolchildren weaponise the swine 'flu.

Shorter UK Climate Projections. Does what it says on the tin.

Spend for the planet! Japanomics at its best.

More on that ENSO nonsense. This story has some way still to run...

Uniform prior: dead at last! Better late than never.

Bankers "have learned lessons". The bonkers bail-out. What a wunch they are...

Successful writer/call girl/blogger outed...as a scientist.

UKMO agrees with me. Looks like they might get a long-term prediction right at last :-)

The last word.

[jules' pics] 1/02/2010 02:12:00 AM

2010-01-02T19:12:00.001+09:00

New Year Hachimangu, originally uploaded by julesberry2001.

At New Year the centre of Kamakura is shut off to cars (but not cyclists, yay!) for 3 days, as every one visits for some Happy New Year's queueing.

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Posted By jules to jules' pics at 1/02/2010 02:12:00 AM

[jules' pics] 12/31/2009 10:07:00 PM

2010-01-01T15:07:00.001+09:00

Japanese hornet nest - closeup, originally uploaded by julesberry2001.

Radicalised Buddhism? You'll remember than in September I remarked that there seemed to be a surprisingly large number of the gigantic and potentially deadly Japanese hornets in Kamakura this year.

On Christmas morning we found out why, when we spotted this (probably about 3 foot high? scale) nest tucked under the eaves at Zuisenji (about 1 minute at full speed buzz from our house). I am amazed and somewhat horrified by the Zenwise fortitude that leads the monks to leaves it up there over the winter.

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Posted By jules to jules' pics at 12/31/2009 10:07:00 PM

[jules' pics] 12/29/2009 10:40:00 PM

2009-12-30T15:40:00.001+09:00

Crab, Enoshima Aquarium, originally uploaded by julesberry2001.

Oishi sou?

Close encounters with gejigeji are an effective cure to the traditional British fear of teensy weensy spiders, but still there remains something unappealing about humungous spider crabs.

For my birthday, Pa gave me a flash gun, which enabled me to shoot this scary monster good and proper.

[Enoshima aquarium]

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Posted By jules to jules' pics at 12/29/2009 10:40:00 PM

[jules' pics] 12/28/2009 05:50:00 PM

2009-12-29T10:50:00.001+09:00

Whale, Enoshima Aquarium, originally uploaded by julesberry2001.

"Oishi sou!!!"

Actually, the show is great. It involves truly multi-talented girls and some remarkable sea mammals who do lots of clever things including leaping out of the water in time to the music.

[Enoshima Aquarium]

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Posted By jules to jules' pics at 12/28/2009 05:50:00 PM

[jules' pics] 12/27/2009 08:07:00 PM

2009-12-28T13:07:00.001+09:00

Enoshima Aquarium, originally uploaded by julesberry2001.

Actually for my 40th birthday I got a visit to Enoshima Aquarium and a dip in the black waters of Inamuragasaki Onsen.

Very funny being at a Japanese aquarium. As I stood in horror, eyeball to tentacle with some monstrous sea creature, little tots would run up to the tanks excitedly squealing "oishi sou oishi sou oishi sou", which means "it looks delicious", which is even more frightening when you consider that how it looks is at least 75% of the appreciation of food to the Japanese. In fact sometimes looks are so important that you don't really need to eat the food at all, an attitude that would clearly be a good solution to the obesity problems of the western world.

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Posted By jules to jules' pics at 12/27/2009 08:07:00 PM

[jules' pics] 12/25/2009 05:36:00 PM

2009-12-26T10:36:00.001+09:00

roast duck, originally uploaded by julesberry2001.

Happy Christmas!

The duck was delicious, thanks to James' Google-based cooking expertise.

Question is what to do with the pint of fat that came out.

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Posted By jules to jules' pics at 12/25/2009 05:36:00 PM

[jules' pics] 12/23/2009 11:06:00 PM

2009-12-24T16:06:00.001+09:00

mallard, originally uploaded by julesberry2001.

Quack!

[Hachimangu, Kamakura]

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Posted By jules to jules' pics at 12/23/2009 11:06:00 PM

[jules' pics] 12/23/2009 03:09:00 AM

2009-12-23T20:09:00.001+09:00

Northern Pintail, originally uploaded by julesberry2001.

Today I shot a duck. What are you having for Christmas dinner?

[Hachimangu pond, Kamakura]

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Posted By jules to jules' pics at 12/23/2009 03:09:00 AM

[jules' pics] 12/21/2009 08:42:00 PM

2009-12-22T13:42:00.002+09:00

Japanese Hawaiian Burger, originally uploaded by julesberry2001.

year-end cleanup pic 4:
While some assumed poor James enjoys raw prawn and sea urchin gonads, this is closer to the truth, and would have been blogged earlier if not for the camera shake.

[Kua'aina, Kamakura]

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Posted By jules to jules' pics at 12/21/2009 08:42:00 PM

[jules' pics] 12/20/2009 10:59:00 PM

2009-12-21T15:59:00.001+09:00

a bee, originally uploaded by julesberry2001.

year-end cleanup pic 3:
In a similar way to how computer programs wont work unless you copy the magic from someone else's code, a macro lens will not work correctly unless initialised with a pollen covered bee. This was that shot.

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Posted By jules to jules' pics at 12/20/2009 10:59:00 PM

COP-out

2009-12-20T15:15:00.002+09:00

As Churchill might have said: "This is not the end. It is not the beginning of the end. It is not even the beginning of the beginning."

[thanks to JKH]

[jules' pics] 12/19/2009 04:11:00 PM

2009-12-20T09:11:00.001+09:00

foreigners' cemetery and landmark tower, originally uploaded by julesberry2001.

year-end cleanup pic 2:
The foreigners cemetery is a historical landmark in Yokohama, while the building in the background is the Landmark Tower. Completed for the end of the last millennium, it is still the tallest building in Japan

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Posted By jules to jules' pics at 12/19/2009 04:11:00 PM

It's the end of the world as we know it

2009-12-19T19:36:00.002+09:00

Couldn't help but laugh at this from the Grauniad, complete with caption:

And with this much snow they can't even run trains in tunnels!

[jules' pics] 12/17/2009 11:24:00 PM

2009-12-18T16:24:00.002+09:00

lotus leaves, originally uploaded by julesberry2001.

In Western Britain, where I grew up, it is very very dark in winter, but in springtime some weak sunlight occasionally escapes round the edge of the cloud, enabling people to see how dusty everything has become over the winter. Thus, "spring cleaning". Here, in Eastern Japan, it is the other way round. The driest, brightest, clearest time of year is late December. So I suppose this must be the real reason why the Japanese do their big cleaning at the end of the year.

In order to try to fit in with the tradition, I am cleaning my flickr photostream, and so have decided to blog some of the pictures I like, but failed to blog when they were taken.

[year-end cleanup pic 1: wet lotus leaves at Engakuji, Kamakura]

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Posted By jules to jules' pics at 12/17/2009 11:24:00 PM