Arukou, arukou

It was the last of my new year’s resolutions I expected to obey. But last week we bought two tickets to Tokyo, for the 17th of April, returning the 28th. It’s the culmination of 10 years of japanophilia via films, books, comics and music, and part of me wanted it to stay in the fictional realm. (Kelly had no such hang-ups.) The opening of the Ghibli Museum (or see here or here) in 2001 was probably the final push.

Anyone reading this have any information or tips for Tokyo? Any indispensable websites?

Blogging in the 17th Century

This meme deserves to be spread: Samuel Pepys’s blog demonstrates much that’s good about the internet, and the blog form. Where relevant, entries are cross-linked and people and places are linked to background information (including online maps). But more significantly, comments and trackbacks allows a wealth of related information, provided by visitors, to gradually accumulate around the text. A truly worthwhile project.

Is this thing on?

Months ago, when my ISP upgraded their servers and Berkeley DB with it, I found myself locked out of my blog. I only needed to update the MT database files but lacking root access, couldn’t do it myself. Today I discover it’s working again. Either one of my earlier abortive attempts worked, or, more likely, the ISP took pity on my plight. So that’s one New Year’s resolution taken care of; we’ll see how far I get with the others...

1. Upgrade MT
2. Improve site
3. Visit Tokyo
4. Write