Wearable computers and haptic stimuli

Wearable computers and haptic stimuli might help us to learn Morse code as this paper suggests;

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-learn-morse-code-mdash-semiconsciously/

It is amazing that "subconsciously" it has been done in most cases.

I don't like playing computer games, though.

In addition, it is another story to master head copying.

The conclusion on this paper should be that this won't make CW survive as a communication mode.

The old tomb in spring

I have been trying to learn when and how this ancient tomb, named Bentenduka, was constructed, which I had posted on this blog for a few times. Unfortunately, no definite info was found. Comparing it to the other tombs with the same size and at the location near to it, it might be built in 6 or 7th century. In the last age of ancient tombs. It is always amazing how many such tombs are in this area. Dozens in the norhtern Kanto area.

Recently, I have learned about a military commander named Masakado Taira, a descendant of the emperor Kanmu, who used to be a power in this area and to have died tragically after rebelling to the emperor in Kyoto. He is believed to be one of the origins for Samurai. It seems there have been a lot of wars or of conflicts between powers in this as well as the other areas in Japan those days. People were, intentionally or unintentionally, involved in the wars/conflicts. I believe people have had a pessimistic view of life in the age of wars and might depend more on religions, whatever it might be, than the later ages.

As I told before, in such a hard age, people in this area might worship at this tomb for their ancestors as a primitive religious behaviour. Knowing of the history a little bit, I could not help feeling this old tomb closer to me. It has seen so many people who got tired of or discouraged living in this world.

The farmers have watered in the paddy around this tomb. They have started planting rice by now. This photo was taken in the end of last month.

A memory of sushi dish

When I visited my wife's family in Shikoku for the first time in this season in a year, her mother made a great sushi named Oshinuki for me. It is the dish shown above. It features spanish mackerel and green pea. Both materials were in the best season in a year. Oshinuki might mean something pushed through. I believe it was made with a "mold".

It has tasted very good even though I could not fully enjoy it before asking them to let me marry with their daughter. Having only two daughters, they wanted us to live with them. Her father used to mention about a newly founded med school close to their home, which he seemed to want me to work as a resident. It was hard for me to accept that plan. When I didn't say yes as for the training plan as a doctor, he answered to me he would consider of our marriage with a kind of gremacing on his face. He looked serious to me. How could I enjoy that sushi in that situation?

Later, my wife told me they had already agreed with us as for marriage at that time. Father in law has made things in right order not answering to me immediately. Those days, there was no bridge between Shikoku and Honshu. While seeing my wife saying good by to me with a big smile, I thought that could be the last trip to Shikoku and she had been too innocent.

Anyway, I could have this Oshinuki 2 or 3 times since then. Sometimes, I asked my wife to learn how to cook it from her mother. She always answered it had been her role to enjoy it but not to make it. At least, the tradition of cooking this sushi in this season would be abandoned at this stage of the family tree. Mother in law is still too old to teach this dish to the others for now.

In stead, I have tried sushi with minched tuna. Ugly shaped but still pretty good. Should I learn cooking Oshinuki by myself?

How I got through engineering major

I have attended to a college in Tokyo before going into medicine. It was Tokyo Metropolitan College of Aeronautical Engineering in a downtown area of Tokyo.

I had been crazy for ham radio in jr. high days and was told by my parents to study something of practical science which could help me to be engaged in some job as soon as I graduate the school. I didn't have any distinct idea or dream at that time. Vaguely thinking to major in engineering or something, I have admitted  the mechanical engineering faculty at that school. Later, I knew I was more interested in human being than milling machine.

Anyway, I have spent 5 years at this school from age 15 years. Most of my friends since jr. high days were quite busy preparing for the entrance exams for universities, while such hectic competition was a thing in another world for me and class mates at this college. The professional subjects at this school class were levelled as high as the mechanical engineering course in universities. I was not interested in those professional subject class and the practice of machine operation at the factory in the school. One time, heavily tired with the work with milling machine, I took a bit rest sitting down on the floor. It was when I was kicked from behind by a teacher instructing us at the factory. I knew engineering was not my profession in the future. Among various books I have read at that time, some of the books concerning psychiatry have attracted me. Such as Jaspers, Frankle, Minkovsky etc. It was an interest in the psychology or, rather philosophical anthropology. It might be a phase of wandering in adolescence. Whatever the reason might be, I have given up studying those professional studies but, at the 5th year of the college, have started preparing for the entrance exam for med school. It was the time when I quit operating radio as well. I must be quite serious at preparation for the entrance exam or could not be successful at it. It took me another 10 years to come back on the air and to meet many old friends again.

This kind of college system is historically pretty new. Around 1960, there have been political enthusiasm among young people, especillay, university students, who were strongly against renewing the Japan US Security Treaty. I believe the business leaders didn't want young people to be too political, especially, against the capitalism. Younger engineers without any consciousness of political issues were highly needed from the standpoint of the business and political leaders. And they have invented this kind of college where students would study profession as much as the university faculty students did while they were given minimum liberal arts studies. I am sure they have tried to educate young engineers who won't complain of or even strike out for labor dispute etc. It seems the aim has been half accomplished. But nowadays, more than half of the graduates from such college would go to university for further study. It might be too short for them to study their profession sufficiently.

I don't know what has happened to me if I went on studying engineering. If not medicine, I might go to a university to study the other subjects. Maybe, I would have spent my life as a school teacher. It was another interest for me. No one knows which was better for me. It might be meaningless to imagine that. Now going on to the last chapter of life is what I should do.

This is a photo of the college, a bit modified from the days I attended there. The campus still brings me back to those days.   



It has had a big garage for air planes. As the name of the school used to mean, the origin of this school was a school for aeronautical engineering before WWII. Though I was a student of merely mechanical engineering, I had a few classes on air plane design etc. By a stupid governor of Tokyo, the name has been changed to another one without aeronautical engineering. I hope this school will maintain the tradition of aeronautical engineering.

Azalea

Azalea along the entrance has passed its peak of blooming. They could have been more luxurious. My wife says we should prune the branches in order to have more room for air flow in the tree. I would do that when flowers are all over.

This azalea in a row was planted over 20 years ago when my father was alive. I can't remember who has done that. Or maybe we have asked some gardener to do that. My father had cared for it until his health issue didn't allow him to. 

This photo shows the row of azalea about 10 years ago. It bloomed gorgeously.

When I started own practice in a city nearby 24 years ago, my father was enthusiastically caring for the plants and trees in the property even though there was no large room for that. Azalea was planted again in the flower bed on the sides of the parking lot. This photo shows that about 10 years ago.

He has worked hard for us there. It was the place for him to work for a family member, that is, me. He has been yearning for such work with me at my own clinic since I became a medical student! I didn't care for a life as a country doctor far away from research etc. But, aside from my wish those days, things have lead me to this countryside and have made me live as a general pediatrician there.

Throughout his life, father has served at the other hospitals and clinics in Tokyo after coming back from the WWII. It was not always easy for him to work being instructed by the owners of those facilities. I was sometimes told by him about how difficult it had been for him to work at such places. At my own practice, now, he could do whatever he thought good for me and for the patients, even though he was not a full time worker. He might be happy to be treated as the father of the boss by the staff. If I could ever boast something I have done for father, it was the only thing that I gave him a chance to work with me at that time. Actually, his work has been a great help to us.

This azalea brings me back to those days. And it also tells time is passing fast. So far it goes on blooming every spring, it is a token father used to live here.  　

At the enthronement of new Emperor

Emperor Naruhito enthroned yesterday. It was the beginning of the new era in Japan. Emperor emeritus Akihito has faithfully as well as eagerly played the role of Emperor symbolizing the people defined by the Constitution. His efforts should be acknowledged by all of us. Standing on the position of pacifist, together with Empress emeritus, he has devoted himself to get Imperial Household closer to the people. We could not forget they had been everywhere suffering disasters in Japan and had talked to the people refuged at the same eye levels as theirs. They have visited a lot of places, especially Okinawa, to commemorate those victimized in the WWII, but never to the Shinto shrine of Yasukuni, where the dead soldiers had been deified during and after the WWII.

It has been sometimes reported that the Abe administration has occasionally interefered to the Imperial Household. Emperor emeritus used to express his desire to abdicate a few years earlier. The government has ignored and has not discussed about that at all. Emperor emeritus, being conscious that he has become too old to continue the role of symbolic emperor, thought to retire sooner. In the end, his desire for abdication has been scooped by a media. He has announced what he thought on abdication on TV to the people a couple of years ago. It was when the scheme to the abdication had finally started. 

The government has utilized the process of abidication for their political purposes. The new era name determination has been politically used by the government. PM Abe insisted it was him who had determined it. At the publication of the era name or even at the abdication ceremony held at the imperial palace yesterday, he behaved as if the main person in charge. He has made propaganda for "the achievements of their policy", which have been seriously questioned by economists or the other critics. The administration is believed to censor what Emperor emeritus would express at the ceremony. Insisting our imperial system is historically different from those in europe, they have not allowed him to compare it with the latter. That was based on the ultra right idea of eliticism the present government has had.  

I am afraid the new Emperor Naruhito may confront to the tense relationship with the government. He has, however, declared in the enthronement ceremony that he would take over the way Emperor emeritus Akihito has done with his responsibility as a symbolic emperor in Heisei era. With our support to him as a pacifist, he may accomplish his duty in the new era.

The imperial system in Japan looks inhuman to me. Emperor has no freedom in his life. He is confined to every duty as an emperor until age over 90 years. Since Emperor is not devine dominator in this society, he should be able to live as a human before he is deemed as a special being. Naruhito is alreay 59 years old, which is the age most people consider of retirement. The responsibilities Emperor takes should be lessened. He should not be bound to his duties all the time. Most of the rituals Emperor hold at the imperial palace were founded in the era of Meiji in order to authorize the Imperial Household. Some of them could be simplified or even abandoned. Every effort should be taken to reduce Emperor's burden. It may help the Imperial Household to get closer to the people.

In the garden

German Iris is a species tolerant to both heat and cold. They show beautiful flowers in spring. We have 3 kinds of them, white, yellow and this deep purple. This purple one is growing just in front of the dining kitchen at the house where our parents used to live. Through the window, they might have enjoyed them blooming in this season.

I might have posted the same kind of photos of this flower before. I love this so much. Mysteriously beautiful.

Has it passed 2 years since I asked the gardener to cut the branches of this Japanese zelkova. It was planted in order to have shades to the house in summer over 20 years ago. Soon, it has grown like a giant tree which made the rooms in the house a bit dark even in daytime. That was the reason why I asked cutting branches. The vitality of this tree is really remarkable so that it has grown this way. Zelkova is a common garden tree in this area. Most farmers' houses have this kind of tree, so high and beautifully stretching branches in the air. I have seen them on the way to the office. It seems they have been cut sometime ago. It might be difficult for them to maintain those high trees. It is a loss in the scenary in this area.

It will get warmer day by day. Plants and trees are growing enormously. I should plant veggies now. Weeds are waiting for me as well.