My opinion of this week:(450)

Network community

I wrote about 7th PC Workshop held at  Ranzan National Women's Education
Center in Saitama Prefecture . The main people who come to the workshop
are member of MPC(Murayama PC Club) . But there are several more people
who are members of ML(mailing list) came from various cities of the 
country. PC club members know each other, of course. But they have never
met some of those ML members who live outside of Musashi Murayama City. 

Through various mail communications in the net, they know each other and
make  friends. They are much interested in meeting with those people
with whom they got acquainted friend in the net. At the party of Ranzan
meeting, they found each others that those people are very nice as they
imagined  through communication in the net. Their friendship will be 
intensified much more through such face to face communication.

Creation of such network community is not the phenomenon just happened
since the beginning of internet. Such mail communication and forum　
started almost 20 years ago after the birth of PC and PC mailing system.
I personally participated in many of such PC mail communication forums
and participated in several off-line meeting where those participants 
got together from time to time to enjoy face to face meeting. That was
a kind of new social phenomena and the creation of network community 
has been intensified much more since the beginning of internet in the 
past ten years.

As to such network community, there always exists a kind of bad image
in general. There are many evil  adult sites and abuse of mails for
various anti moral anti social life. Creation of net community does not
necessarily have a good impression in every sense.

I personally have no doubt and worry  about the network community which
I talk about right now. I have got so many good friends through this
network activities and this is one of the biggest asset I got in my
life.

I would like to continue this network activities which would bring
many more happiness and enjoyment in my life to come. At the same time
I believe that it is one of my lifework to let people  know how
enjoyable and meaningful to participate in such network society through
our clubs and ML.

2005/12/3
Tadashi HAYASE

My opinion of this week(451):

Farewell to Mr. Michio Ueda

I got a sad mail from Hara san about the death of Mr. Michio Ueda on
this Monday. Ueda san learned at the same college with Hara san. Hara
san kindly introduced him to our PC and English ML and very friendly
relation of our PC and English Conversation clubs with him  has 
continued since then.

Our English club was held twice a month and Ueda san visited Murayama
City Hall commuted a long way from Totuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. It took
almost six hours to and from to attend and to teach our English club
although he had to attend hospital twice or three times a week to get
dialysis. He attended all classes as a matter of fact under such 
difficult condition while we held such club activities.

He used English movie scenario to teach English. He typed a few pages
of scenario of a movie and distributed them to  club members to learn
English conversation  by watching the movie. I learned English by 
the same way when I was college student. So I corporated him to prepare
the film so that we can watch the movie by TV set in our  club room. 

He was so eager to attend our PC club  which was usually held in the
morning as well. He left his home very early in the morning and came 
back to home late in the evening. It must have been a hard work for
him, but he seemed to enjoy the communication with our club members.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to his contribution to our
club and to express my deepest condolences for the death of Mr. Ueda.

2005/12/10
Tadashi HAYASE

My opinion of this week(452):

Mt.Fuji

Recently, I get up early in the morning and  make it a habit  go to park
to make 10 minutes stretching and 10 minutes physical exercise broadcasted
by NHK radio station starting 6:30.  About 15 people get together to make
this exercise every morning. I had some backache problem before but it 
seems to have been improved since I started this exercise. I usually enjoy
taking a hot bath after coming back to home.That is another pleasure these
days.

I had no problem to participate in such early in the morning. As a matter
of fact, I usually get up already at such time almost every morning. But I 
should be  brave enough to get outside in such cold weather in these days.
Total island is now hit by a cold wave. But after 20 minutes physical
practice in a very cold air, my body is warmed up a little bit and feel
fine breathing a clean and cold air. So it has now become my good habit.

In addition to physical pleasure, there is another fun. I rushed to the
park ready for the start of the exercise and watched firstly the west 
side of sky.  You can see Mt. Fuji very clearly over some shadow of 
houses and forest just before sun rise. Mt.Fuji is very beautiful covered 
fully with snow in very cold and clean air. It looks differently a little
bit day by day.

I have read a article in internet that people and local cities and towns
are promoting the project to make Mt.Fuji world's cultural heritage. I
believe that it is to be the movement of all over this country  rather 
than only of local movement.

2005/12/17
Tadashi HAYASE

My opinion of this week(453):

Mochituki (Rice Cake Making) Festival 

As one of the last event of our community association in this year, 
Mochituki Festival (Rice Making Festival) was held at the community
center on Friday, Dec. 23. Mochituki Festival was one of the traditional
event in this country  at the year end. Children these days think that mochi
(rice cake) which is traditional food to eat at new year can be bought at
super markets. But in old days, mochi was prepared for new year by doing
mochituki party by individual families or by communities. 

Committee members of our  association decided to let children have mochituki
experience which must be enjoyable for them and for old generations. 
The tools to make mochi were borrowed from Education Board of the city. 
I don't know why mochituki tools are related with  Education Board, but 
mochituki itself must have some meaning of social education these days.

Then the committee got tools and rice to make mochi. But they noticed 
that there are no men who really know how to make mochi in the committee.
The committee tried to find the people who know the whole process  to make
mochi. It is not quite difficult but you must know several key points to
make good one.

We invited several leaders of community including principal of an
elementary school to the festival.  Fortunately, the principal we invited
is an expert of mochituki for he has experienced a number of mochituki 
festivals in the community he lives. He agreed to provide a help and 
advice to us.  He added a kind of sarcastic remark though saying our 
community association members are in a position to teach those PTA people
in younger generation. 

I agreed  with him and we were very successful to make good mochi by
getting good instruction from those experienced people at any rate.

While northern part of Japan was hit by a cold wave, Friday was very
fine and warm in our area. We could hold a good festival in such a 
very fine weather. The whole process went very smoothly. Children
enjoyed playing several games and toys in old days while waiting for
mochi ready to eat. All seemed to enjoy very much. The festival itself
was very successful.

But the biggest outcome of the event was a very good corporation of 
committees members to make the festival successful from the beginning
to the end. Such experience will be very useful for preparing  meals
outdoors in some natural disasters. 

Community need to have such experience sharing the food out of the
same bowl to improve community relations. Mochituki Festival has 
provided such a very good opportunity  in this respect.

2005/12/24
Tadashi HAYASE

My opinion of this week(454):

Photo Story3

One of the most popular theme of MPC(Murayama PC Club) in this year was
 "Photo Story3". Photo Story3 is a slide show software provided free
for registered members of Windows Xp users by Microsoft as you may know.

There are several different slide show programming including JAVA script
used in HTML system. JAVA script slide show, for example, is really good
and attractive itself. However, it is kind of difficult to prepare for
it involves some careful description of HTML in many cases.

But when it comes to Photo Story3, making a slide show is rather easy. 
Many pictures can easily be selected from PC folders and inserted into
a show with a high quality MP3 music. Insert of any titles can also be 
made very  easily. 

Many club members presented various kind of slide shows of the pictures
taken in their trips since we learn it at our club session. T Kondo, a 
instructor of MPC Pottery Club, use Photo Story3 to explain the process
of making a vase. That was a very good idea.

I personally  made a kind of moving picture story book titled "My 24
hours" by using Photo Story3. I was glad to hear a few complement from
Mailing List friend.

Shoji Kikuchi, a member of MPCML who lives in Sendai, attended to
Ranzan PC Workshop held in November to learn Photo Story3. He was 
pleased to learn how to make slide presentation by this programming
and released a few good shows titled "My Walkway"," Night of Sendai"
and so forth.

Different from conventional analog pictures, digital pictures taken by
digital camera are used and presented in various way. They are shown
in slide shows by  PC and by internet so that many people can share
them through various media. Those slide shows are very attractive 
for they are presented with video like movement and music the 
software itself which is originally movie maker software provided by
Microsoft.   

Process of making Photo Story3 itself is very enjoyable. You have to
consider all sort of effect and result by composing pictures and music
to make a presentation. It is really a creative process.

People takes a lot of pictures these days by digital camera. But most
of them seem to be left unused. I am proud enough of the fact that 
our PC club members are so smart and  creative that they use those 
pictures very effectively.

2005/12/31
Tadashi HAYASE