plusminus zero is a joint project between Takara, the toy manufacturer, and Naoto Fukazawa, one of the most established industrial designer in Japan recently known as the principal desinger of INFOBAR cellular phone.

[graphics/japanese translation to be added later]

Here is an excerpt from March 1994 press kit by Apple, I just found in my drawer.

Q1.Who recorded the 'boot beep' on the 'new' Power Macintosh computers?

Q2.What famous Nobel prize-winning scientist shares a March 14 birthday with Power Macintosh?

Q3.What 1984-vintage software was shown at the 1993 Apple Developers conference to demonstrate the Power Macintosh line's compatibility with 680x0 processor-based applications?

Q4.What was the code-name for the Power Macintosh team?

Q5.What other products resulted from research and development for Power Macintosh?

引き出しの中から見つけた'94年３月、Power Macintosh発表時の報道者向け資料から抜粋です。

Q1．（新しい）Power Macintoshの起動音をレコーディングしたのは誰でしょう？

Q2．Power Macintoshと同じ３月14日生まれのノーベル賞受賞者は？

Q3．1993年のアップル開発者会議で、Power Macと680x0用アプリケーションの互換性を示すために1984年製のビンテージアプリケーションは？

Q4．Power Macintosh開発チームのコード名は？

Q5．Power Macintoshの研究開発プロジェクトから派生した製品は？

TypePadをベースにした@niftyの新サービス

cocologがついに始まりました。

私もさっそくblogをつくってみました

題してnobilog2

今のところこことどう使い分けるか決めていません。

でも、（Cocologは）せっかくの日本向けにローカライズされたサービスなので、

nobilog2は日本語コンテンツを中心にし、今後、nobilogは英語コンテンツ中心にシフトしようかな...!?

vodafoneのV801SAが今日から発売開始

GSM３バンド＋W-CDMAで日本＋ヨーロッパ＋アメリカで使える携帯

しかも、テレビ電話もOK

新規価格は２万9800円

買いにいきたいところだが、仕事が遅れすぎて夕方までは出れず...

V801SA from Vodafone Japan is out now.

It supports both W-CDMA+3 band GSM; so it covers Japan+Europe+the USA

you can make video calls (perhaps, even to FOMA phones)

the price will be 29,800 for new contracts.

I'd very much like to go buy one but I am too much behind the schedule ...

It was like a huge rock concert.

People were lining up endlessly (in rain).

At the top of the line were Gary and Devin from IfoAppleStore.com; they flew all the way from San Francisco to stand In Front Of Apple Store (therefore, IFOAppleStore).

Gary told me about 15 people spent the night together IFO Apple Store; he seem to have been enjoying the 'togetherness' there and passing out some souvenirs to his comrades.

About ten minutes before the grand opening, Eiko Harada, the president of Apple Japan came out from the store and was enjoying the amazing view (of endless line in Ginza). Some other Apple staff came out with his 17" PowerBook with iSight and was showing that endless line to Steve Jobs somewhere abroad (some said he is in New Zealand right now).

Three minutes before ten, a big cheer broke out from the store and they suddenly started to let people into the store.

Big scream and shouts from the line and huge applause from the staffs inside the store.

Usually, when a new store opens in Japan, the clerks would welcome the customers by bowing. It is especially so in Ginza.

But this was not the case at Apple Store. The store stuffs were welcoming the customers with applause, cheers and high fives ;-)

It was a scene of a great excitement. I have seen some grand openings of new stores (on TVs, etc.) but no other opening showed this kind of excitement.

It may look very strange for a grand opening of a store -- especially for a computer store. But everybody there seemed happy, the clerks, the customers, the VIP and other Apple staffs were enjoying that special moment and everyone could tell that from people's face. Actually, it sort of reminded me of the grand opening of Tokyo Disneyland.

Before noon, some Apple staff were saying way over 5000 people seem to have lined up. The line wen as far as Yaesu Exit of Tokyo Station almost 1 km away from Apple Store; it would take almost twenty minutes walk just to reach to the end of the line.

Maybe Apple should have invited the officials from the Guiness. I talked with clerks from some other stores around but none have seen such long line ever. Many people believed it was the line for the big year-end lotto; many people believes you have better chance of winning the big prize if you buy the lotto in Ginza. Some were saying to me that it must be the recession that makes people form such a long line for a lotto ;-) well, the truth is, people were lining up to get into a computer store.

Of course, it is different from any other computer stores you might have ever seen, it may be closer to a Disneyland.

More about today's Apple Store Ginza, Grand Opening later. When I am through with serious condition (of delayed work).

This article wasn't proof read (as always). If you find any serious errors, just comment ;-)

日本語は仕事が一段落ついたら書きます...