Honshu and Okinawa

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I am back. I spent 10 days in Japan, 5 days for work on the main island of Honshu and 5 days of solo adventure in Okinawa. Travel is so invigorating dispite the uncomfortableness. Jetlag, anxiety, crowds, and other discomforts aside, it is mind-expanding and rewarding. Work went well. I flew a new airline (Skymark) from Tokyo to Naha. I am always wary of strange discount airlines and all the traps they set. However, I had a great expereince with "Sky". I was actually shocked. Super easy checkin at the airport, no extra fees even with extra luggage. The primary mission in Okinawa was to visit the Peace Park and the suicide cliffs of Okinawa. From what I understand, at the end of WW2 the inhabitants were encouraged to commit suicide rather than surrender to the Americans and get tortured and eaten. Besides other types of suicide, they jumped off the cliffs at the Southern end of the main island. If you have seen the original color footage taken at the time, I am sure you ...
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Aping Biology, Computer Guides Automated Evolution of a Robot
For the first time, computer scientists have created a robot that designs and builds other robots, almost entirely without human help.

In the short run, this advance could lead to a new industry of inexpensive robots customized for specific tasks. In the long run -- decades at least -- robots may one day be truly regarded as "artificial life," able to reproduce and evolve, building improved versions of themselves.

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Honshu and Okinawa

-
Image
I am back. I spent 10 days in Japan, 5 days for work on the main island of Honshu and 5 days of solo adventure in Okinawa. Travel is so invigorating dispite the uncomfortableness. Jetlag, anxiety, crowds, and other discomforts aside, it is mind-expanding and rewarding. Work went well. I flew a new airline (Skymark) from Tokyo to Naha. I am always wary of strange discount airlines and all the traps they set. However, I had a great expereince with "Sky". I was actually shocked. Super easy checkin at the airport, no extra fees even with extra luggage. The primary mission in Okinawa was to visit the Peace Park and the suicide cliffs of Okinawa. From what I understand, at the end of WW2 the inhabitants were encouraged to commit suicide rather than surrender to the Americans and get tortured and eaten. Besides other types of suicide, they jumped off the cliffs at the Southern end of the main island. If you have seen the original color footage taken at the time, I am sure you ...
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Priorities

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One of the strangest processes I go through is setting priorities of what I need to work on. I can't say I finish one project and start on another. I often take a project to "a stable place" and then start on another "comprehensive" project that ends up as many smaller projects with their own lifecycle. The good news (and what allows me to be proud) is that I finish projects. Finishing is a big deal to me. I enjoy that part. A lot of folks get joy out of starting projects, but then get beaten down by setbacks and reality. Real progress (and growth) comes in steps. The stair rise is seeing and knowing progress. The stair step is when you dont see progress. You have to have faith you will get to the next rise. It will happen. In my latest "comprehensive" project "zoom room improvements" includes deep cleaning (inside and out), new electric, ethernet, and flooring. In addition, some foundation repairs. The original posts were set poorly and th...
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I had a flying lesson tonight. I felt like I did better on some stuff, but there is something always to add. Pile it on. It takes time and effort. Reading really helps maximize a lesson. One of the fundementals I really have to work on is a good checklist mentality. I am the first to recognize that a pure checklist mentality may not be optimal for finding new things, but there is considerable merit in checklists. In fact, I have a list everyday, every week, and throughout the year for work. Staying on the list is a required discipline. I need to be able to be in checklist mode and, when I need to, be out of checklist mode. When I came in for a landing tonight there were some folks watching. I went up to them after we landed and they asked "Was that a student landing?", "Why yes it was", was the reply. "It looked really smooth" he said and he showed me the camcorder in which he had it recorded. "It didn't feel very smooth to me.", I replied....
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The Electromagnetic Spectrum --DC to Daylight (and actually well beyond)

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Besides carrying my scintillation detector with me looking for ionizing radiation (over 2.46 petahertz) and decaying isotopes, I have been playing in the more friendly "basement" of the electromagnetic spectrum (under a gigahertz). A pic of my radio bench. I sold my IFR ( http://blog.theguysatwork.com/2025/02/updates-storm-and-other.html) . I needed to replace the function (at least a lot of it) with a cheaper digital produt. So for 1/10 the sale price of my IFR, I ended up buying a TinySA Ultra+ ZS406 Spectrum Analyzer. It is indeed tiny. It does what I want it to do and it's a fun new toy. Our autographed copy of the "Fall of Civilizations" arrived from the UK. Paul Cooper does such a great job with his pobcasts and videos. I felt compelled to get a personalized copy of the book. ( https://www.paulmmcooper.com/ ) Seeing this licence plate on the front of a pickup truck seemed fitting-- not so much as contrarian, but as a Komatsu equipment fan. It's g...
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The only competition worthy of a wise man is with himself. -- Washington Allston I was in Brazil this past week. It feels so good to have basic communication skills.. so good. My efforts spent with Portuguese language were very worthwhile. It doesn't mean it wasn't awkward and embarrassing at times, but I am not illiterate nor deaf/mute. I had the opportunity to take a side trip to South Brazil and Uruguay (alone--solomente) and do some border penetration testing. These 4-axle double-decker buses in South America are just so cool. Jaguarao Brazil Bus station in Jaguarao Brazil Interesting story... Uruguay Traditional quick breakfast. Coffee with high percentage of hot milk added (Cafe de leite) and a large deep-fried meat dumpling (Pastel). It tastes better than it looks and it looks good. Rio Branco (White River) or Jaguarao river depending on your viewpoint.
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