Video: BoingBoing tours Electro-Harmonix

Cool video tour of this Long Island City, NY, designer and manufacturer of guitar effects pedals.

Movie: The Wrestler

Saw The Wrestler Friday night, and think it’s really very good.  Check Mick Foley’s review in Slate.  I didn’t realize that it takes place in Central New Jersey and that I’d be familiar with some of the locations, particularly Asbury Park.  Well-acted, well-paced, doesn’t make any obvious wrong-moves, and has several memorable scenes.  4 out of 5 stars (outstanding, merits repeat viewing).

Inauguration: The post-mortem

Sunday’s Washington Post carried this piece about the purple ticket fiasco.  Fortunately, this situation was not characteristic of how the event as a whole went.  The attendees were great, Metro did much better than I expected, and the vast majority had a good time.

Japan: More Yoshinoya’s opening in downturn

According to this item that appeared in the Japan Times last week, Japanese budget restaurant Yoshinoya will open a hundred new outlets in Japan this year, and will expand its presence in China as well. Known for their gyudon (beef bowl) meals, I’ve eaten many a breakfast in these places. Via Japundit.

Photo taken from Wikipedia.

Japan: Government to provide assistance to laid-off foreigners

As reported in today’s Washington Post, the economic downturn is hitting Japan’s manufacturing sector, and many laid-off foreign factory workers (particularly immigrants from Brazil) are deciding to go home. Despite living in Japan for many years, they have few ties keeping them there apart from work. 

The national government (urged by the business community) has set up an office to plan and implement new programs to assist laid-off foreign workers in areas such as language training, so they can find jobs outside the manufacturing sector. The demographic handwriting has been on the wall for some time. This might signal a turn in elite opinion toward immigration in Japan.

Wizards: Could Grunfeld pull an “Ainge”?

This piece by Ben Becker on the RealGM site compares the situation the Wizards are in this season with the 2006-2007 Boston Celtics. Celtics GM Danny Ainge was able to put together deals for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in the wake of a “tank” year. As we know, the Celtics won the title last season. The article provides an inventory of trade pieces that Ernie Grunfeld could use to engineer a similar turnaround.

Wizards win last night in Sacramento.

Inauguration: So far, so good?

It’s looking like, for the most part, people got in and are getting out okay. The parade got started very late. Surprisingly, there was a lot of space available along the parade route, according to this WaPost piece.

Inauguration: Pictures

We left pretty late, around 10AM. No problems on the train from Crystal City, which was about half full. About 15 minutes delay getting out of L’Enfant Plaza Metro. The Mall was already full up there, so we walked west along Independence Avenue to the Washington Monument, where there was a large area with no security screening. We saw half of a Jumbotron, and heard everything. Took off after the swearing in, and walked home over the 14th Street Bridge.

Inauguration: Metro expects “something to happen”

The DC Examiner on Wednesday reported Metro General Manager John Catoe’s remarks last week to the Metro Riders Advisory Committee about January 20: “Something will happen on the 20th. We cannot operate that many trains and not have something happen.” 

The combination of the age of the system, rapid growth in the number of riders in recent years, and original design choices (e.g. dependence on escalators and elevators at stations, no third track) means that broken down trains cause a ripple effect of delays and problems through the system. Even during normal rush hours. Metro will be running rush hour service with longer trains throughout the day on January 20.

For all things inauguration, the WaPost’s Inauguration Central is probably the best single resource, with regular updates on events and logistics and links to other useful sites.

The buraku and modern Japan

Today’s New York Times piece explores the evolving status of the buraku, who are descended from Japan’s class of feudal outcasts. The inauguration of an African-American as U.S. president next week is contrasted with the barriers faced by Hiromu Nonaka, a Japanese politician of buraku origins who rose to chief cabinet secretary but faced resistance within his own party to further advancement.