Human Activity

"The human mind is a channel through which things-to-be are coming into the realm of things-that-are."

― Henry Ford

Automaker offers patents for free

6 JANUARY 2014   NIKKEI ASIAN REVIEW   TAKASHI SUGIMOTO

LAS VEGAS -- Toyota Motor said Monday it will offer about 5,680 patents related to its fuel-cell vehicle technology for free.

The company is willing to share the patents to speed up fuel-cell vehicle development and foster competition. 

Bob Carter, senior vice president of Automotive Operations for Toyota's North American unit, told reporters of the decision ahead of the opening of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Read More

Japanese companies must fuse traditional, foreign ways of working

6 JANUARY 2014   NIKKEI ASAIN REVIEW

... In an era of globalization, Japanese companies need to combine the strengths of their traditional business methods with those of the countries they operate in.

Keiichi Ota, head of production management at machine tool maker DMG Mori Seiki, is a believer. He calls German partner Gildemeister's work system "amazing" at managing time and achieving results. But the meticulous attention to detail and teamwork found in the best Japanese companies is equally important. "The fusion of the merits of the two systems is indispensable to win the global competition," said Masahiko Mori, DMG Mori's president. 

DMG Mori and Gildemeister (now named DMG Mori Seiki AG) are adjusting their work systems ahead of their planned 2020 merger. DMG Mori has sent Akina Konishi to Germany to help with the preparations. 

Overcoming the friction that arises over differing business and production practices is not easy, but younger employees such as Ota and Konishi take the initiative in ironing out problems in order to help the venerable Japanese machine tool maker improve. 

The number of Japanese working overseas has been rising by around 10,000 annually in recent years. Inevitably, some of these people will come back questioning Japan's traditional ways of doing business, having been influenced by differing business cultures. Despite the short-term discomfort, this process can be a source of strength for a more cosmopolitan breed of Japanese company. Read More

"Why, Japanese people!?" American dude has us rolling on the floor laughing with his comedic sketch

6 JANUARY 2014   ROCKET NEWS 24   KRISTA ROGERS

... "The Year of the Horse (午年) is about to end. I didn’t feel at all 'horse (馬)-like' this past year and the time flew by. The Year of the Sheep (未年) is up next, huh. I guess I’ll look forward to feeling like a sheep (羊). Hey wait, why do the Chinese zodiac year names use different kanji from the usual words for animals?  #WHYJAPANESEPEOPLE Is noon the time to ride a horse? Is there a 'correct horse'? Is there also an 'incorrect horse'? Hey!"

(Here, he’s referencing how the Chinese astrological sign for horse is 午, which is the same character used to write "noon" [正午] in normal Japanese; the horse is also associated with the period from 11am-1pm in Chinese astrology. The first character in the compound for "noon" is 正, which has a separate meaning of "correct/true.") Read More

"Cluster of galaxies in Virgo, Abell 1689"
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