Music piracy in Japan: a growing problem?

July 9, 2023 admin Other

Music piracy in Japan: a growing problem?

We are all aware that music piracy is global problem today, but not the same as another in different countries and regions. Japan is also experiencing a problem about music piracy. It is roughly calculated that there were nearly four hundred million pirated music files that were downloaded and additional seventy million compared to the number of the legal downloads, which lead in telecom and music industry in Japan to enforce “a system to automatically check cell phone Web sites for illegal music files, in order to prevent the files from being uploaded or downloaded in breach of copyright law.”

The Japanese have come up with new methods to observe and check the progress of the users’ use of technology, without a doubt was enhanced by the fact that it is a leading country in technological progress. Probably, it has also become fully aware that taking legal action in opposition to users will lead in a strong and adverse reaction that can possibly paralyze the industry, something foreign companies are only beginning to understand.

After all, the most important thing is the recognition and enjoyment of music. While fans are searching for novel ways to achieve their chosen tunes illegally, musicians and record labels should still be delighted that there are music lovers and be grateful that there are still supporters who are ready to support them through buying their albums. The Japanese have a plan that can possibly prevent illegal downloads from happening, and that obviously, is always an asset.

Baidu’s Verne Plan

July 4, 2023 admin Other

Baidu’s Verne Plan

Many have read the book Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, whose author, Jules Verne, is considered by many to be the father of science fiction. His imagination has motivated many to invent things once thought not possible, and Baidu, the largest internet company in China, has decided to follow in his footsteps by setting a “crazy” plan named after Verne called the “Verne Plan.”

So what is the Verne Plan?

The Verne Plan is designed to connect to science fiction to existing technologies for real innovations for the next century. Its main focus is on artificial intelligence, such as AlphaGo, the genetic programming designed to help people discover the secrets of life.

So who are involved and when will it start?

The Verne Plan has started on April 1, 2016. For this, six famous people have been recruited as founding members: Andrew Ng, a computer science professor of Stanford University and Baidu’s first scientist, will lead the group. Cixin Liu, the author of the famous novel The Three-Body Problem, is a member. Dr. David Brin, a space Scientist and a consultant at NASA, is another. Qiufan Chen, a science writer known as the “Chinese William Gibson,” is the fourth member. The fifth is Haijun Yao, an advocate for popular science and an editor of a sci-fi magazine. Finally, Ken Liu, who translated The Three-Body Problem, enters this imaginative plan. A close look at these six individuals reveals that two are scientists while the others, science fiction writers. It seems like the ideal team!

Why is in store for the Verne Plan?

The Verne Plan changes the traditional idea that science is difficult, cold, and boring into one that is exciting and imaginable, such as the creative ideas highlighted in films like the Iron Man.

Under the Verne Plan, science fiction writers and scientists can expand and merge the boundaries of science and science fiction through creative cooperation. For example, when a new technology requires large-scale application, science fiction writers can be involved in early stages for their vision for more imaginative innovations. This is different from conventional innovation processes in that innovations are achieved through close cooperation between scientists and science fiction writers from the very beginning of the development process. One outcome of such cooperation is that innovations are expected to better address the needs and wants of end users.

In the near future, the Verne Plan may succeed in bring to people innovations that can truly change their lives forever. As in the case of electricity and TV, it is certainly exiting to imagine what can come from this creative cooperation between these individuals under an ambitious plan led by one of the tech giants of the world. Stay tuned!

Chenshun Hong

边界

June 5, 2023 admin Other, Society

武汉大学人文科学实验班大三陈卓雅

我是一位人物特写记者，我喜欢在咖啡馆里写作。尤其是狭窄胡同里头的那家咖啡馆，里面有年轻少女的体香混合着摩卡馥郁的味道。屋顶的庭院花园栽满了形形色色的花草，动物蜡像夹杂其中。难得在钢筋水泥的天际线里硬是挤出几分自然。值得一提的是，咖啡馆南面是电线繁密的市井圈，北面是玻璃幕墙的精英社会。我喜欢坐在庭院的摇椅上看这世间究竟有多少鸡毛蒜皮又有多少意乱情迷。

第一杯：蓝山

“先生，您的朋友来了。”黛西边放下手中的两杯蓝山边笑语盈盈对我说道。“黛西你别对我这么温柔，说不定哪天我爱上你就是苦难的源头。”我想既保有绅士风度又适时打趣她。“那可真是太对了。”黛西敛去笑容转身下楼。

一位白发苍苍的老人拄着拐杖上了楼，目光温和，举止风雅。“先生，我们从哪开始谈起呢？”我打开速记本，调好录音笔，礼貌性询问他的意见。“随你喜欢，小伙子。”老人嘴角微微泛起一个好看的弧度。

“你的职业是？”我先打开了问题的盒子。“我是一位战地摄影师，从上世纪三十年代开始就像吉普赛人一样到各个战地流浪。我曾在克里姆林宫前拍过作战的苏联红军，子弹嗖嗖从耳边掠过，空气里都是硝烟的味道与血腥的气息。也有一年我到了北非，徒步跟着驼队穿越大半个撒哈拉，在郊区教堂拍下一个印度裔英籍士兵用清水洗着他的长发，可是没过多久他就死了，因为踩到了教堂边的地雷。多么可笑！我在别人的国境内记录了一个又一个死亡，甚至于习惯了死神从我身边悄悄走过。有那么一瞬我曾想躺在公路上望望蔚蓝的天空，然后在松懈的一刹那被疾驰的汽车碾过，这样就不用夜夜对着照片里那些惊恐无助的眼睛，难以成眠。”老人忽地抬头，被高楼切得零碎的天空顿时阴暗了起来。

“听您的口音，您应该不是本地人吧。”我对他那混杂了多地方言的口音十分在意。“我是哪里人，我自己也不清楚。按理说我生在日本该是日本人才对，可是父母在我15岁那年带着全家迁去了香港，那我应该是英国人吧。我的身份没有人给过明确的答案，甚至于我自己也模糊了民族认同。当我以为自己是日本人时，日本人轰炸了我的家。当我以为自己是英国人时，英国士兵抢走了我逃难的唯一口娘。后来到了中国大陆，人们纷纷另眼相向。他们把我和弟弟——当时就只剩我俩，父母在那次日军轰炸中早已过世了——关在黑漆漆的房子里大喊着‘打倒鬼子’，活活把弟弟饿死了。我是中国人吗，也许是吧，护照上分明这样写着，但他们怎可以对同胞这样残忍呢？”老人低下头，从口袋掏出一块古铜色的怀表，“时间到了，我得走了，再见。”他匆匆下楼。

第二杯：摩卡

“看来我早到了呢，先生。”一位满脸胡碴的中年大叔正坐在我常坐的位子上。“给你点了杯摩卡。”他反客为主邀请我坐下。

“可以开始了，先生，礼节倒也不必了，说说你的故事吧。”我心绪不宁。“你想听什么呢，先生，我怕我的故事太过滥俗，你会大失所望。”他各种戏谑，戴着玩世不恭的面具。“我二十五岁那年跟青梅竹马的女友结婚了，那时候我是多么迷恋她的丰乳与美貌。两年后，我们的女儿出生了，她有一双棕褐色的大眼睛，哦，就像黛西一样，可爱极了。我一直以为自己可以平静地度完下半生，波澜不惊却又怡然自得。相信我，我真的是这样想的。”

“可是你放弃了这样的生活，因为你出轨了。”以这样滥俗的开头就该有滥俗的后续，我想。

“先生，生活是没有边界的，你不能事事分明，我只是拿回了属于我的东西——一个年轻女子的激情与迷恋。仅此而已。我爱上了她，她也为我着迷，我们并没有放弃什么，只是世俗容不下我们。仅此而已。”他沉思后又笑了，“尽管我们相差20岁，哦，对了，她还是我女儿的同学。”他虽然面容淡定但我竟奇异般地感应到他内心的苦涩。我摆摆手示意他继续，他却不语，一直打量着我的神情。“先生，你貌似不太喜欢我的故事，你的脸色这么难看，我想我还是去找下一个倾听者吧。”他留给我一个黯然的背影。我抑制不住困意，渐渐睡去，耳旁传来悠扬的风笛声。

第三杯：拿铁

待我睁开眼，暮色四合。眼前一个扎着双马尾的小女孩睁着大大的眼睛看着惺忪的我。又是这个穿着黄色裙子的小女孩，不止一次在庭院里遇见她了。

“我要出发了，先生。”她的必备台词又毫无违和感地出现。“我要去环游世界，坐着我自己做的船去浩瀚的银河。”她一脸期待，全然不顾我的毫不在意。“这次是真的，我要走了，不能再给你讲我读过的童话了。先生，不要缅怀我，虽然我不是飞机师，但我会成为小王子最喜爱的玫瑰。”她正色道，紧张地抓住了我的手。“一路顺风。”我不禁怅然，喉咙哽咽，怕是信了她的话。

她真的走了，拖着一堆箱子。箱子里是我送的一堆童话吧，或者是她写的从未及寄出过的千百封信件。漂洋过海，终会到达目的地。她说，她从不相信地球是圆的，她有能力冲破人们视域的边界到达银河，那里没有活着也没有死亡，只有永恒。我合上眼，群星璀璨。

黛西上楼走近庭院，霓虹华彩与灯火稀疏形成鲜明的对比。她看见父亲在庭院摇椅上神情安详，手指还夹着尚未熄灭的烟头。桌上的拿铁尚有余温，黛西如往常收拾好桌面，下楼，拿着听筒打了个电话。“他死了，就在刚才，你过来吧。”语气冰冷如同岁末寒冬。

翌日，报纸头条赫然写着：“九十岁高龄战地摄影师逝世，传长期为癔想症所扰。”黛西平静地合上报纸，冲了一壶茶送上楼。

“这些都是你的故事，不是么？父亲，都快一个世纪了，您越过人间这么多界限，还有什么遗憾呢？”黛西把茶浇在父亲的位子上。

第三日，这家咖啡馆歇业，据说是政府开发老城进行大规模拆迁。这座城市最后一块处于传统与变革间的象征性边界消失了。尽管如此，但故事不会消失，不是么？