I will survive

No. This is not about Gloria Gaynor and her songs. This is something I was thinking to (yesterday) after reading a post from Meysam.
The post was about an idea from his professor who asked the students to stay away of today's important tools for a week. So, the students tried to live without electricity and many other things they thought to be important in a modern life. He says that they have had a tough time and only a few of them could resist the situation for a week.

But why is that? What are the differences between the new generations and those lived-say 100 years ago- on the same planet? How they survived and we could not?

The difference, probably, is in the fact that those people have been more productive. Every single person knew something to do. They could do gardening, make their own clothes,... So that they could survive thanks to their own skills. People of the 21st century, however, are a data bank of some info. They store the data but do not know how to use them. We live in a virtual world, you know...

Judgment

Spending my time with my friend Arash (last year, Iran), we talked over many things exchanging our opinions about people and their life,...

He gave a nice comment on my talk with saying "We can not judge people from the results of their works" which made me think more and more to understand if his opinion is valid for every situation or not.

The comment was very true in many aspects, you know. Many people do their best to achieve their goals but they may not reach the desirable results. There are sometimes, results in contrast with the things we expect. In scientific fields also, there are sometimes negative results showing you that the method is not applicable to the situation (this, at least, tells you that you have to choose another way to approach your goal).

The idea, however, does not work in some important cases...

When the God is down

Today, I was convinced that we can not leave some issues to the humankind to discuss about.
Why? Well... Just take a look at the list of the 50 leaders of all the time (click here for Persian list or here for an English one).

And the story behind the scene is that 1000 industry leaders were asked to select all-time leaders from their perspective. The result, released in "Leaders in London Summit 2005"-webpage, is quite strange and brings some points into the mind. Winston Churchill has ranked on the top, being number one. And the God, is ranked 50, at the bottom of the list.

Here are some points:
1- A politician is selected as the best leader. This shows how close are the industry managers to the political authorities.
2- Most of the selected leaders are politician while the academic ones are few.
3- Many of the selected people do not have anything to say. Kufi Annan is an example.
4- Among religious leaders, Dalai Lama is ranked first and Pope Benedict XVI has got number 5.
5- Mell Gibson is number 43 for his role in "Brave hearts".

You know, the list shows everything itself but what I'd like to say is that this selection shows how those leaders (voters) think and what do they have on mind. Just think about it. God is number 50. Or maybe it is a good news that still there is a place for God in their book of life.

When the tears come

A very positive point in Japanese culture is their care and responsiblility. They, in fact, care about everybody in the society so that every single person has the same rights as the others regardless of his/her disablities.

Yesterday, there was a TV show. A live coverage of a festival (or something) for handicapped and those with mental diseases. I could watch a part of the show and can tell you that it was one of the best programs I've ever seen. Why? Coz you could see everything there; Love, Sympathy, TeamWork, Unity,...

Thousands of people were gathering in a hall to see the live performances which were taking place in different places both indoors and outdoors.
A group performed a nice theater about space-shuttle missions. All of the actors/actresses were suffering from mental problems. Head of the group (pilot) could speak a few words but enough to understand his happiness when mission accomplished. They were applauded by the Japanese celebrities attending the program and the audience.
Handicapped bicyclists were running using their hands to ride the specially-designed bicycle. They were accompanied with reporters and were also in contact with the show persons exchenging their feelings.

And the best part, in my opinion, was the football match between two teams of blind guys. A very nice effort from both sides with a serious report from one of the best Japanese reporters. There was also a Japanese (national team) player who was interpretting the lovely game which ended 1-0 for the orange team. You know, they could pass the ball even better than some of our national players who sometimes loose the ball with open eyes. Moreover, almost all of the shoots were into the goal.
And finally, the match was finished with an interview with the striker followed by a live (and lovely) song performed by a singer in the hall.

Most of all, the efforts of the celebrities to cover the festival was touching the heart. You could see the best in show biz, sports,... there doing their best and turning the day to a bright one.

Nobody could hide the tears...

Invisible friends(?)

There are some people in everybody's life who are hidden all the time. They just appear when they are in need of something and then disappear again. In digital words, they are online but invisible. Why? Simply because they do not want to be in contact or are unwilling to give any helpful hand.

In the case of Iranians, it is much more complicated coz some people are scared of the others and want to stay away because of political/religious issues. And some of them think that this is wise when you get your needs from your friends but not to be helpful in a mutual way. They, in fact, are sometimes more problematic bringing many troubles with themselves. Maybe that's why Jean Paul Sartre says "Hell is other people".

I can't call these my friends. To me, friends have a strict definition according to which, total number of my friends does not exceed 10 so far though I know thousands of those who have been in contact face to face.

Here is a message (a quoatation from Jimmy Durante):
"Be nice to people on your way up because you meet them on your way down."

And finally, I'd like to ask you if you can give a name to these guys...

Kazumasa Oda

"Kazumasa Oda" is a legendary singer in J-POP. Born in 1947, he started his work in 1969 and became one of the best Japanese singers with his group "Off Course" releasing several albums. "Love Story wa Totsuzen Ni" or "The Love Story That Came Suddenly", a theme for "Tokyo Love Story" (a Japanese drama from Fuji TV) is one of his best works.

He is also known with "KiraKira" (Twinkle, Twinkle) with lyrics brought to you for this weekend. The translation is from lava.net.

##########
Gentle, gentle, gentle, the heart wavers
Twinkle, twinkle, twinkle, the time sparkles
Now, I'll vow to you once more
That I will never ever betray you

Don't give up on that distant dream just yet
Because I promise I'll take you there

Pass on to me your everything, even your feelings of doubt
I know the day will come when you can say you're glad we met

Gentle, gentle, gentle, the heart wavers
Twinkle, twinkle, twinkle, the time sparkles
If we can someday make our return
When that time comes, I want to return here

Trying memories are something you repeat together
And the recurring sadness is something you overcome

Right now, I just want to be holding the you I see before me
It's alright to save tomorrow's tears for tomorrow
Because my love will continue on forever
A yet invisible wind will blow on our tomorrow

Uh, and if the time is to pass as such
There's nothing more to talk about
No matter when, just gazing on you as you slept
Would cause the twinkling stars to fill the sky

Right now, I just want to be holding the you I see before me
It's alright to save tomorrow's tears for tomorrow
Never forget what we can do only at this very moment
At such a time, we can never return here
Because my love will continue on forever
A yet invisible wind will blow on our tomorrow
##########

This week

OK. Another week is going to end. And here is a breif report of what I've done within last 5 working days.
Well, actually we were on holidays till yesterday. So do not expect a long report.
I spent my days here in the lab copying some books and articles needed for my future work. And, yes, I've to thank our lab for providing facilities for documentation. You know, I'm converting books to PDFs directly using our Fuji/Xerox machine with its nice interface, thanks to technology.
And I started the new sets of experiments 2 days ago, preparing new sensors. Today, however, I got to wait for a gold crucible needed for melting chemicals.
And weekend: I'm invited to a dinner by a friend. And am sure that it will be all fun be with friends.
BTw, a friend, Dr. Saffarzadeh, presented his thesis on Monday. Nice presentation. Congratulations to him.

Kidnapped!!!

##########
This morning I was kidnapped
By three masked men.
They stopped me on the side walk,
And offered me some candy,
And when I wouldn't take it
They grabbed me by the collar,
And pinned my arms behind me,
And shoved me in a backseat
Of this big black limousine and
Tied my hands behind my back
With sharp and rusty wire.
Then they put a blindfold on me
So I couldn't see where they took me,
And plugged up my ears with cotton
So I couldn't hear their voices.
And drove for 20 miles or
At least for 20 minutes, and then
Dragged me from the car down to
Some cold and moldy basement,
Where they stuck me in a corner
And went off to get the ransom
Leaving one of them to guard me
With a shotgun pointed at me,
Tied up sitting on a stool...
That's why I'm late for school!!!
##########

I selected this poem from Shel Silverstein again to breeze your mind with the memories of the school days. Don't say that you did not such things during your school days. You were always thinking to find an excuse to save yourself. Weren't you?

I miss the moments I was waiting for the rings to bell. To take my stuff and rush home bumping classmates while exiting the door.

Remember? Waiting for weekends to come, spending all the energy we had on playing games with our friends.

And next week, Nobody was willing to get up. School? Not again!!!

Real Beauties

Wherever you go, on this planet, you'll see the beauties of nature. You know, everything is as it should be; Forests, deserts, springs, mountains, oceans,... all and all are posing themselves to make a beautiful world. There is no place made for inelegance or something. And the sky above? Yes. The sky is blue. Everywhere.

So what is the difference?
This is one of the very first questions I came up with as of my arrival to Japan. Is this all about nature? Surely not. So when we see a picture, why we wish to be there? What is the real joy behind the scene?

And here is what I've learned: This is all about us. Yes, we and thats all. You know, real beauties and joys are where the hearts are happy. Where the people treat eachother in a proper way. Remember, your feeling is not the one captured by eyes but the heart. So a blue sky may turn to a dark one to your heart if the people around you are not kind enough...

My logic

Several months ago, there was a news on the activities of a scientist who is trying to find a new logic for computers. The idea was to use -1,0,1 as the new base for calculations. You know, existing computers work based on a binary system (composed of 0 and 1). He also mentioned that the brain uses the negative signals in addition to zero and positive ones. That's how they came up with the idea.

I think the idea is a brilliant one especially if you take a closer look at our societies: Many people try to stay away of many situations when they are not sure about what is happening around them. Many are also biased negatively so that their brain is recieving/sending negative signals all the time.

You may think my idea- which I'm going to tell you hereby- is stupid. But I think it is worthy to try. Here is the idea:
Well, you know, the logic behind these calculations is based on the mathematics. And mathematics, itself, is a result of thoughts of philosophers. But it does not work in social fields. Sometimes when you insist on something wrong, you may get a faster result than what you expected. So, why not to try a wrong solution first?
The other thing is that, it looks interesting when you mix some other stuff like psychology in computer calculations. Then we may get better results especially when facing with social problems...

Arab?

It was about three years ago when I was searching in our library here in our campus. Then I found a book in which, Avi Sina (or Abu Ali Sina) was introduced as an Arab scientist.
Then I thought: maybe it is because of himself. You know, he wrote some books in Arabic. Not only him, in fact almost all of our scientific books are written in Arabic.

But this is not an excuse, I thought, coz the language of science has been Arabic at that time; I mean when Muslims were the pioneers in science. So why they are called Arabs while they are Iranians?

And, BTw, to many people around the globe, Iranians are Arabs. So, sometimes you got to tell them that you are from Persia, the great land ever, to improve your face in their images.

You know, once I decided to contact some publishers -whether online or not- to modify the texts but I gave up. Why? Just check yourself and see how many publishers inside the country are printing their stuff in Arabic. We found children books published by "Be'sat publishing" in Arabic. Where? OF course, here in Japan; In the public library of the city. Believe it or not everything was written in Arabic even the address of the Iranian publisher. And the result...

Technology heading to the edge

Several years ago, I read an article about science and technology in general. The author (well, I do not remember him) was saying that the technology is approaching its limits very fast. The proof was that nowadays, scientists are using the smallest objects in the world to produce the devices. And he meant that a molecular level used in many industries (with IC technology as the leader) can not be scaled down anymore; We are approaching the basic species which form the whole world and it is impossible to crack down the electrons-for instance- to diffuse to a smaller world.

The idea looks true if you consider silicon as the basis for the current technology. You know, silicon technology is approaching to an end knowing that no other material is found as a good substitution for silicon. Silicon carbide (SiC) is perhaps the luckiliest one with the ability of resisting higher temperatures and currents. SiC, however, has got lots of problems itself and is found to be difficult to be used in an SiC-based technology.

All of the above is correct but still there is a hope. To me, the ultimate in everything is creatures you see everywhere. Made by the God. So, maybe the bio-based sciences can solve the problem. But still there is a long way to go.

Dreaming

Living in Japan is mostly like a dream; At least for me as a foreigner.
Better to explain it this way: I'm sure that anybody has dreamed of many things while sleeping; whether sweet or bitter. Almost in all cases you do not have a clear picture of the scene. You know the characters while dreaming but you do not know them after waking up. Also, in many cases you are not sure about the things happening there...

And in Japan, you meet many people who know you (not because you are famous, but because of their own curiosity or job) while you have no idea who they are. And in most cases, you simply don't know what happens around you but you feel it (just like a dream). Moreover, sometimes you really wish to shout but you can't. No voice...

Yesterday

It is sometimes difficult to express our feelings. Some occasions can not be expressed by words and some of them should not. Some people have enough talent to put the things into words so that you understand the guy deeply.

Again, we reached another weekend which could be spent in the best way. Things, however, sometimes do not go on plan and you can not blame anybody for this. But I know that this is the best thing I've got and should be more careful. So I'll try to be more active next week to feel the taste of life and to convert it to a meaningful one.

For today, "Yesterday" is brought to you. Just to remind you that the life can be expressed in three words: "It goes on". So take care of every moment.
Lyrics is written by Charles Aznavour and is translated to English by Herbert Kretzmer. Roy Clark sang this song at Mickey's Funeral in 1995. Mickey had heard Roy sing it before and thought it depicted his life so well that he specifically asked Roy to someday sing it at his funeral.

##########
Yesterday when I was young
The taste of life was sweet as rain upon my tongue
I teased at life as if it were a foolish game
The way the evening breeze may tease a candle flame
The thousand dreams I dreamed, the splendid things I planned
I always built, alas, on weak and shifting sand
I lived by night and shunned the naked light of day
And only now I see how the years ran away
Yesterday when I was young
So many drinking songs were waiting to be sung
So many wayward pleasures lay in store for me
And so much pain my dazzled eyes refused to see
I ran so fast that time and youth at last ran out
I never stopped to think what life was all about
And every conversation I can now recall
Concerned itself with me, and nothing else at all
Yesterday the moon was blue
And every crazy day brought something new to do
I used my magic age as if it were a wand
And never saw the waste and emptiness beyond
The game of love I played with arrogance and pride
And every flame I lit too quickly, quickly died
The friends I made all seemed somehow to drift away
And only I am left on stage to end the play
There are so many songs in me that won't be sung
I feel the bitter taste of tears upon my tongue
The time has come for me to pay for yesterday when I was young
##########

A Wasted Week

This is the report of what I've done during this week. So read it carefully!!!

Actually I've done nothing. We were on holidays. Nevertheless, I came to the lab everyday. Yes, every single day waiting for a guy to come and fix the device.

But he didn't come...
You know, this is what I hate here in Japan. When you ask somebody to do something, he does not tell you if he is willing or not. So the guy came on saturday and said OK. I'll do it and started to work. But when I left him, he just escaped leaving a message "The device is not fixed yet". And made me wait here whole damn week.

Dynamo

If you are a bicyclist this post may attract your interest. At least, it reminds you the days of pedaling in your childhood when you'd to push the pedals harder to keep your lights on.

Many people do not turn their lamps on when riding bicycles because of the larger energy required to overcome the friction between the dynamo and the front tire. Nowadays, there are some kind of lamps in the market all of them battery-operated as a substitute for the classic dynamo-operated lights. These, however, could not be a good replacement as in contrast to the dynamo types, the new ones are not environment-friendly, you know.

According to The Japan Journal (Vol. 2, No. 5), Aki Denki (an electronics manufacturer) has found a solution to the problems of pedal-pwered illumination. They have produced a generator which has no contact with front tire. "Magical Light" uses three magnets attached to the spokes of the front tire which pass over a generator attached to the forks and generates electricity. The big advantage is that the lights are not filament type but white LEDs with higher effeciency and stronger light.
And the price? Well it is about 36 US$...

The Tsudoi Program

The Japanese ministry of foregin affairs (MOFA) conducts various programs in support of former foreign students in the wish that they will become a bridge between Japan and the students' home countries. The program is called Tsudoi, a reunion of former students in Japan. In this program, alumni who are active in the society of their home country are invited to spend one week in Japan. While in Japan, the selected individuals participates in a program that includes exchanging veiws with experts and people from MOFA and attending tours that enable participants to see, firsthand, Japan as it is today. The Tsudoi programs enhance friendship between former study-in-Japan students and also help to promote the activities of the various alumni associations located abroad (Check here, Thanks to "The Japan Journal").

Waves

A big difference between developed countries and those called thirld-world (or simply: undeveloped) is the way of development.

Developed countries are benefitting what it is called sustainable development which means that lots of thoughts and calculations made before any modification, support the idea and guarantee the functionality of the system for several years ahead.

In the case of undeveloped countries, however, things come with a wave and dissapear shortly after their appearance. Everything follows the wavy pattern.
Just look at Iran as an example; When I was a student, a majority of people were talking about ATARI, NINTENDO, and lots of TV-game consules. Then, they turned to the world of music, many of them willing to play guitars. Then, many people started to say anything nonsense as a poem. They all come and go. Most of them dissapear (and are dissapeared) with time.

And if you take a look now, you'll see that almost nobody knows about music, poetry,... and many other things that have been tried by the people of the country.

I think it is a duty of the authorities to provide the proper foundation (knowledge,...) to the people who may be interested in each subject. The problem, however, is that the authorities are also following the wavy pattern. Just take a look: Ministry of telecommunication changes to the ministry of Post-Telegraph-Telephone which in turn changes to ministry of information and communications technology...

Black Box

The tragic story of the Boeing 737 crashed on top of the athenes, was sad enough to make me feel like one of those lost their loved ones there in the flight. You know, people were freezed there onboard many of them children.

And the same as other cases, they hope to get some information recorded on black boxes. The problem, however, is that I've never seen the outcome of black boxes. Generally nothing is publicized after collecting the data pieces from black boxes. So nobody understands the real cause of the problem.

And the other thing, I anticipated from an interview with a flight expert on CNN, is that the oxygen provided to the passengers in emergency cases is a result of a chemical reaction. So with our very old planes with almost no maintenance who can guarantee if the chemicals work properly?

Africa

I watched "Quest" Sunday on CNN. The program was about Africa. Hunger, disease, and death, focusing on Live 8 program.
You know, scenes were really dramatic. A kid just said: "Last night we were three and today we are just two"...
And I was thinking to the facts around us. We are simply ignoring millions of people who live on the earth while some other are looking for those somewhere in another planet.

This is a translation of what I recieved via internet last week:

##########
People around the globe were asked to give their opinion/solution to food shortage crisis in other countries. No clear answer was recieved just because:

In Africa: Nobody knows what the "food" means.
In Asia: Nobody knows what "A solution" means.
In Eastern Europe: Nobody knows what "Honestly" means.
In Western Eurpoe: Nobody knows what "Shortage" means.
In U.S.: Nobody knows what "Other countries" means.
In China: Nobody knows what "Opinion" means.
##########

And to me, the question is why those institutions and active celebrities are just feeding the people there in Africa. Why not to teach them how to obtain their food through working (farming, whatever)?

Treasure

Today, riding my bicycle to the train station, I found a nice message attached to the entrance door of a building.
Here is the message: "You are my most precious treasure".

And the building? Yes it was a Pachinko (for gambling,...).

Very true. Isn't it?

Greenfields

Weekend songs which I'm bringing here for my dear visitors, are selected among the greatest hits ever. This week I was thinking to move to a new genre. So I thought about it for a while. However, I said myself that I can't categorize the songs and it is better to publish those songs which I like most. So you may see oldies, love songs, celtic, country,... every weekend.

"Greenfields" released in an album with the same title, is performed by "THE BROTHERS FOUR" in 2003 (find the official website here). The band, with 40 years of play, mainly works on the folk music from around the world. They have never experienced a down time during the years of performance and have increased their fans worldwide. Back to the Greenfields, it brings me the feelings of the childhood. When "The little house" was broadcasted on TV with those wide-wide fields and the children running there in full happiness; Where the sky was really blue and the village was full of kind-hearted people...

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Once there were greenfields...kissed by the sun
Once there were valleys...where rivers used to run
Once there were blue skies with white clouds high above
Once they were part of an everlasting hope
We were the lovers who strolled through greenfields
Greenfields are gone now...parched by the sun
Gone from the valleys...where rivers used to run
Gone with the cold wind that swept through to my heart
Gone with the lovers who let the dreams depart
Where are the greenfields where we...used to roam?
I'll never know what made you run away
How can I keep searching when dark clouds hide the day?
I only know there's nothing here for me
Nothing is now left for me to say
But I keep on waiting...until you return
I keep on waiting until the day you learn
You can't be happy when your heart's on the roam
You can't be happy until you bring it home
Home to the greenfields...and bleed once again ...
##########

Together or alone?

This week was weird. Having fixed one of the devices last sunday, I tried to start new experiments on monday. So I cleaned an new SiC wafer and oxidized it on Monday. On tuesday ,though, I found the sputtering machine broken and ordered a new filament which was arrived on Wednesday. But I could do nothing on that day coz people were on a trip and when they came back, everybody was drunk. No way.
Then, we decided to dessemble the machine and service it. But the guy familiar with the device went on a trip.
Still I'm waiting for him. He may come today (friday) hopefully...
You know, the thing is that I've got to wait for someone. To do this together. It could be finished earlier if I'd come of with the decision to do it by myself.
Now I understand why Henry David Thoreau says "The man who goes alone can start today;but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready".

Books

These days, I'm reading various books. Just to breeze my mind.
The problem is the time shortage. I've got traveling time in trains and a short time at home. The rest of the day is to work; work and work.
And if you like reading, you may like this post which brings you some quotations about reading the books. Afterall, maybe you have the same feeling...

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"Thank you for sending me a copy of your book - I'll waste no time reading it." - Moses Hadas (1900-1966)

"From the moment I picked your book up until I laid it down I was convulsed with laughter. Some day I intend reading it." - Groucho Marx (1895-1977)

"The covers of this book are too far apart." - Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914)

"Why don't you write books people can read?" - Nora Joyce to her husband James (1882-1941)

"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them." - Mark Twain (1835-1910)
##########

The Godfather

The 100 greatest movie characters of all time, selected by the readers of the Permiere magazine, have been published recently. Interestingly, Vito Corleone of "The Godfather" is ranked as the first character played by Marlon Brando. Fred C. Dubbs of "The Treasure of The Sierra Madre", Scarlette O'hara of "Gone With The Wind", Norman Bates of "Psycho", and James Bond of "Dr. No" took the next places respectively.

The news made me think about the cinema itself specifically, and these listings in general.
Well, first of all, the list (which can be found here), showes that although the criteria in cinematography has been changed with the time so that the scenarios are going down and down with unbelievable stories full of crime scenes, science fictions, and such kind of stuff, still a majority of people prefer a cinema as a mirror of the real life. You know, Marlon Brando was a real Corleone there in Godfather; someone who was a part of the society. And Vivien Leigh, as another example, showed a sensible scene of life, understandable by everybody through touching their hearts.

Secondly, I came up with a question while reading the article on Permiere. The question is, if these are the characters of all time, then what about tomorrow? What about the new stars and characters? To me, it is a confirmation of the fact that the senarios and characters are descending day by day. What about you? How do you feel?

What I've learned here

Three years...
Yes. I arrived here three years ago; August 8th, 2002.
The decision was made in a tragic way. You know, I had to leave everything there, my PhD studies which were going well at that time, my job, my friends, and most of all, my family. And all of this was for the sake of satisfying myself. To tell the truth, I've never stopped in my life; Always moving.
But was it all well done? Surely not. There have been some mistakes; Many, lets say. But Thanks God (and knock on wood!!!) the resultant satisfied me to a large extent.
I didn't come for just a scientific purpose though it formed a part of the mission. To me, the most important thing was to learn more and more: About people and their life-style, about education systems,...Whatever.

And now, after three years, I'm planning to go back; You know, no place like home. As soon as I can. Maybe within 2months or so, if things go well.

And before closing this post, I just remember what my ex-professor (Prof. M. Nili) said when we talked about my plans to leave Iran at that time. "I've tried all the joys of life. Nothing is better than doing a research", he said. At this point, however, I've found that there is something more important and joyful: "To cheer-up the people's hearts everyway that you can. No matter who they are, religious or not, what nationality they hold,...".
This is all I've learned here. I feel really good about it...

A fast move to the sky

Among millions of elevators active worldwide, the one installed in Landmark Tower Yokohama was the fastest with a speed of 750 meters per minute (45 km/h).
To give you a sense of how fast this elevator is, I can just tell you that the normal elevators in buildings move with a speed of about 60 meters per minute !

The elevator, produced by Mitsubishi Electric in 1993, had the record of the speed for several years, acting in the tallest building of Japan with 70 floors. However, the elevators established for the new Taipei 101 building, made by Toshiba Elevator, can carry the passengers from ground floor to 89th floor in just about 39seconds (or 60 km/h).

Well, it may seem real scary getting in these elevators but the designers do their best to provide passengers a safe move. You know, an elevator needs to move in a very straight line (compared to cars which run horizontally). So Mitsubishi Electric says that if you balance a coin on its edge in the 2nd floor, it would still be standing in 69th floor. Smooth movement, noise reduction, air-pressure control, braking systems (with trustable back-ups) are the other concerns.

This post was adopted from an article in The Japan Journal, Vol. 1, No. 3 by Tony McNicol.

Good mood

Well, I feel really good now. Some problems are already solved and life has found its way up again. Meanwhile, the new device was installed successfully (thanks to myself for fixing it on Sunday!!!). And most of all, I'm pretty happy today. So next posts will come soon...

Fix you

Have you ever tried to fix someone? When s/he is in need of it?
For sure many of you have done this to your family and/or friends.
So, for this weekend, you may try to do this if you know someone in need of. Here is a song by Coldplay from the album X&Y. It is named "Fix you" and released in 2005. A cool song with almost the same melody as previous works of the band. Light and fascinating lets say.

##########
When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse

When the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

High up above or down below
when you too in love to let it go
But If you never try you'll never know
Just what your worth

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Tears streaming down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears streaming down your face and I

Tears streaming down your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face and I

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
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Jealous

"You may be jealous at anybody but your child and student". This is a quotation from one of my best professors, Parviz Davami, who was (and is) a real teacher of my life.
I brought this quoatation to say that I understand it now, seeing my ex-students around the world. I'm very proud of them and happy to see them on their way up. You know, they were part of my life...
And why just children and students? Simply because you dedicate yourself to them. You give them the best of yours...

Weekly report

I was wondering if my weekly reports are found useful by the visitors. Anyway, just for the sake of saying, here is the report:
It was started with busy days of experiments and repots which was scheduled to be on Wednesday. Nothing went well. The previous flow measurement system broke last week and the new one, which was totally different by the way, came on last Thursday. Wasting all my weekends on the installation of the device, it still does not work as the flow meters seem to be in need of re-installation. Meeting was all about my XRD patterns and the problems with SiC as a substrate for the new sensors. Too many problems to be solved. Working from 7 am to 10pm continuously left no time to think to my own general problems. And it got even worse. I was like a dead body all the week but there were many things floating on my mind.
The week was ended by two hard days of cleaning. You know, here we got to clean the lab every semester and to tell the truth, this time we had something more than 50 packages of garbage each one 70lit in volume. And now, there is some one calling for the meeting. Exhausting...

And, my own problems, I do not think about them. I'm simply erasing the question. The soul is not accepting but the body needs it...

10 rules

I've got some facts about Japan. If you are planing to get here, you are strongly recommended to read this post.

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1- Always say that the foods are delicious. Even if you really do not like it. You've got to thank the provider before and after eating. In the case of soups, you have to slurp to show that you are enjoying it.
2- Be paunctual. Otherwise, you may find the door closed.
3- Be patient. The system knows how to work. You may not affect it.
4- Do not say anything with confidence. Always say "probably" or "maybe".
5- Do not talk to a Japanese about two topics at the same time. S/he will be confused.
6- Give a helpful hand on any occasion.
7- If you know something for 50-50%, do not ask. Then, you'll be directed to a neverland.
8- Never ask a Japanese to take your picture. It will be a mess.
9-Respect everybody, especially your boss.
10- Say that you love drinking. Otherwise, you'll make no friends here.
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Dictionaries

I'm not sure if you've ever thought about the dictionaries and their enteries. Some definitions put you in a circle so that you need to refer to many other words to understand the meaning. And in some cases you don't get it.
But there are some dictionaries on everybody's mind which are closer to the real world, giving you a complete sense of the term. Today I received an email with words and their meanings. To many of us, such kinds of stuff may look weird or just funny. But I think that we have to think deeply:

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Atom Bomb : An invention to end all inventions.

Boss : Someone who is early when you are late and late when you are early.

Cigarette : A pinch of tobacco rolled in paper with fire at one end and a fool on the other.

Classic : A book which people praise, but do not read.
Committee : Individuals who can do nothing individually and sit to decide that nothing can be done together.

Compromise : The art of dividing a cake in such a way that everybody believes he got the biggest piece.

Conference Room : A place where everybody talks, nobody listens and everybody disagrees later on.

Criminal : A guy no different from the rest....except that he got caught.

Dictionary : A place where success comes before work.

Diplomat : A person who tells you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip.

Divorce : Future tense of marriage.

Doctor : A person who kills your ills by pills, and kills you with his bills.

Etc. : A sign to make others believe that you know more than you actually do.

Experience : The name men give to their mistakes.

Father : A banker provided by nature.

Lecture : An art of transferring information from the notes of the lecturer to the notes of the students without passing through the minds of either.

Miser : A person who lives poor so that he can die rich.

Office : A place where you can relax after your strenuous home life.

Opportunist : A person who starts taking bath if he accidentally falls into a river.

Optimist : A person who while falling from Eiffel tower says in midway "See I am not injured yet."

Philosopher : A fool who torments himself during life, to be spoken of when dead.

Politician : One who shakes your hand before elections and your confidence after.

Smile : A curve that can set a lot of things straight.

Tears : The hydraulic force by which masculine will-power is defeated by feminine water power.

Yawn : The only time some married men ever get to open their mouth.
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Hotel California

Life is not treating me kind these days. I feel like the prisoner of Hotel California, you know. Such a lovely place, such a lovely face. But there should be some backdoor over here. I'm trying to get my mood back: Some dance to remember, some dance to forget. The problem is that I've to fight myself somehow, I've started it after all. Will do my best to find my way up.
Stay tuned for the next post which will come in a few minutes.

Breeze and Smoke

I found this in the train last night:

"Gentle, moderate, or strong; Every breeze carries cigarette smoke"

Do you feel like that when reading the Breeze?

Shy or what?

Japanese, to many of us, look shy so that we may find it difficult to comunicate. This, however, is not the fact here and I'm 100% sure about it.
The problem with Japanese is that they are lost in this world. Lost between their cultural qualities and the western-style life. They learn to obey their parents, teachers, or whoever older than them (SEMPAI) without any objection. They, in fact, grow up in a man-ordered environment. Here, there is no room for women and children to say their feelings. Men work outside and women should serve them in anyway. And children are members of the school family not their real families.
On the other hand, there is a strong temptation in young generation to get close to western-style life. But the big contrast between these two makes it very complex. The resultant is a young generation which is unable to comunicate with the rest of the world. They just do not know how to behave when see people from other nations though they are very naughty among themselves. And their problem in speaking English makes it worse.
Just as an example to finish this post: According to a Japanese, if a Japanese kisses his kid it is like he had sex (sorry to be rude here) with his mother or so (according to their culture). So ...