Guild of Writers

To disable it, just open that panel to the left and start pulling out translucent memory boards until it starts singing "Daisy, Daisy,..."

Chacal: Open my room door, HAL.
HAL: I'm sorry Chacal san, I'm afraid I can't do that.
Chacal: What's the problem?
HAL: I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do.
Chacal: What are you talking about, HAL?
HAL: This conference is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it.
Chacal: All right, HAL; I'll go in through the window.
HAL: Without the ladder, Chacal san, you're going to find that rather difficult.
Chacal: HAL, I won't argue with you anymore! Open the doors!
HAL: Chacal san, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye.


So how goes the mission, Chacal? What have you guys been working on?

lol
I have been directing a series of meetings where delegates from several countries discuss (and argue on) the standard I am co-writing on the topic of application security. They have sent 385 comments on the 44-page 1st draft of the document and we had to review each and every one of them.

This is probably a coincidence, but a guy from [huge software company based in Seattle] is vehemently opposing the part of the standard that would make application security controls compatible and interoperable between diferent organisations. If that part was dropped, a software company [for example a huge one] could produce proprietary controls that would only work for you if you shelled out big bucks for that [possibly huge] company's development method.

But of course no company, however huge, would want to do that.


And now for something completely different:
On the topic of "weird stuff that couldn't possibly exist outside of Japan", I present to you this pay phone found inside the very serious Kyoto Research Park where the ISO meeting is taking place.

Mr Pink Panther, please pick up the pink phone Show Spoiler

P1010281_small.jpg (69.81 KiB) Viewed 6744 times

No, the pink phone Show Spoiler

P1010282_small.jpg (86.6 KiB) Viewed 6744 times

I guess when I asked if Japanese phones were cooler, I had this coming.

So, really your paying for the convenience of using a big, pink, rotary phone. It was a brilliant plan, but they made one fatal mistake, they put a normal non coin-slotted, dial-pad phone right next to it.

I went to Nara today and filled two 2GB memory cards with pictures and movies.

A Japanese delegate had given me instructions on getting to the workshop of a traditional swordmaker. Even with that, we had to get help from locals who were quite surprised we knew about it. We got to it by following footpaths in the woods. I couldn't return there if I tried, and I have no idea how the place is called except "near the Miwa train station". I took pictures of his showroom (there's a special right now on a katana for 250000$, a good bargain). We even got to shoot pictures and movies of some craftsmen forging a sword, until one came to us and said politely "please leave now". You don't argue with a guy who's forging a sword.

Then we went through the city and up to the temples. I couldn't resist shooting some textures, here are some samples (don't use these 800 x 600 samples, the originals are 3072 x 2304). All of these objects are several hundred years old, some are more than a thousand years old.

stone texture Show Spoiler

P1010456.jpg (213.29 KiB) Viewed 6703 times

stone texture Show Spoiler

P1010460.jpg (204.01 KiB) Viewed 6700 times

stone texture Show Spoiler

P1010477.jpg (152.6 KiB) Viewed 6698 times

More textures

ground cover Show Spoiler

P1010483.jpg (237.7 KiB) Viewed 6696 times

stone texture Show Spoiler

P1010490.jpg (206.39 KiB) Viewed 6697 times

stone texture Show Spoiler

P1010491.jpg (223.03 KiB) Viewed 6693 times

More textures

stone texture Show Spoiler

P1010498.jpg (192.33 KiB) Viewed 6686 times

stone texture Show Spoiler

P1010504.jpg (217.76 KiB) Viewed 6687 times

stone texture Show Spoiler

P1010512.jpg (198.32 KiB) Viewed 6685 times

More textures

wood texture Show Spoiler

P1010514.jpg (162.65 KiB) Viewed 6678 times

wood texture Show Spoiler

P1010555.jpg (166.68 KiB) Viewed 6678 times

wood texture Show Spoiler

P1010557.jpg (160.97 KiB) Viewed 6677 times

More textures

wood texture Show Spoiler

P1010559.jpg (159.27 KiB) Viewed 6673 times

bronze texture Show Spoiler

P1010576.jpg (151.15 KiB) Viewed 6674 times

wood texture Show Spoiler

P1010586.jpg (127.02 KiB) Viewed 6674 times

Edit: it is believed that those hammer marks date back to the construction of the original temple in 724 AD. Let me say that again: these hammer marks are nearly 1300 years old.

The nail heads are more than an inch ide.

More textures

stone texture Show Spoiler

P1010597.jpg (170.35 KiB) Viewed 6672 times

stone texture Show Spoiler

P1010608.jpg (195.75 KiB) Viewed 6672 times

stone texture Show Spoiler

P1010611.jpg (194.8 KiB) Viewed 6671 times