Miscellaneous on kenji.blog

What Does It Mean to Understand?

Sat, 24 Sep 2022 02:38:18 +0900

What Does It Mean to Understand?

Hello!

Today, I would like to talk about the theme, “What does it mean to understand?”

Is “understanding” actually ambiguous?

There are moments in everyday life when you feel, “I get it!” But if you think about it carefully, is that “understanding” really complete comprehension?

For example, driving a car. If you step on the accelerator, it moves forward, and if you step on the brake, it stops. You might say you “understand” this. However, there are probably very few people who can explain in detail what is happening inside the engine.

Is complete understanding necessary?

Actually, even if you don’t understand everything completely, it often doesn’t interfere with daily life. Even if you don’t know the internal structure of a smartphone, you can make phone calls and send messages, right?

But that doesn’t mean you should make light of “understanding.” Deepening your understanding can lead to new discoveries and realizations.

There are also many things we don’t understand

There are many things in the world that have not yet been elucidated. For example, the mechanisms of human emotions and consciousness, the origin of the universe, and so on. These are fields that are still not completely “understood” even as science advances.

Even in the world of mathematics, there are unsolved problems like “Goldbach’s conjecture,” despite being simple problems.

The value of “understanding”

As your “understanding” grows, you can explain things with confidence and communicate effectively with others. Having knowledge also has the advantage of making you less likely to be misled by misinformation.

A humble attitude is important

Recognizing what you “don’t understand” leads to humility. And it is precisely because of this recognition that the desire to keep learning is born.

So, while “understanding” is important, it is difficult to comprehend everything completely. What is truly important is to know the limits of your own understanding and to maintain an attitude of continuous learning.

What a Community Needs

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 01:37:43 +0900

What a Community Needs

I felt that the Scratch Community Guidelines are very refined and excellent. The following points were written:

Treat everyone with respect.

Keep safe: Do not publish personal information or contact details.

Leave helpful comments.

Understand remix culture.

Be honest.

Make the site a comfortable place.

I think these perspectives are applicable to any community.

https://ja.scratch-wiki.info/wiki/%E3%82%B3%E3%83%9F%E3%83%A5%E3%83%8B%E3%83%86%E3%82%A3%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AC%E3%82%A4%E3%83%89%E3%83%A9%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3

My Thoughts on Japan

Tue, 06 Sep 2022 02:24:11 +0900

I’d like to organize my thoughts on what I find strange or think about Japanese society.

About Student Loans

Speaking of scholarships in Japan, most of them are interest-bearing student loans that must be repaid. In addition, university tuition fees have been continuously increasing since 1950, and the percentage of students receiving these loans is also on an upward trend.

On the other hand, it seems that the recent average total borrowing amount reaches 3.24 million yen.

For users of the Japan Student Services Organization scholarships, the average total borrowing amount is 3,243,000 yen. Reference

If someone is burdened with a debt of 3 million yen at the age of 22 when graduating from university, naturally, their marriage age will be delayed, and it will obviously become harder to have children. I think this is one of the causes of Japan’s declining birthrate problem.

Pervasive Self-Responsibility Theory

This is somewhat based on my senses, but I feel there is a cold social attitude of “other people’s business is their business.” It might be inevitable that this trend occurs after decades of ongoing economic recession, but Even regarding the aforementioned student loan issue, it is not viewed as a problem for society as a whole, and I feel that the voices of young people and minorities, who have fewer votes in elections, are being ignored. Even though, in the long run, it is actually a very important issue for Japan as a whole.

Instead of heading towards excessive competition, I think a spirit of everyone helping out when there are people, generations, or groups in need is extremely important for a country. (However, I feel a sense of discomfort when the government insists on “self-help and mutual help.” I want them to proactively work on rescuing the vulnerable.)

(This article will be updated as needed.)

Characteristics of Japanese People as Seen by AI

Yes, I will explain the characteristics of Japanese people.

[Good Aspects]

Japanese people have a culture of being polite and paying attention to respect and how they treat others.
Punctuality is strictly enforced, and being on time is highly respected.
A collectivistic mindset is strong, with an emphasis on teamwork and cooperation.
Cleanliness is valued, and there is a tendency to be enthusiastic about manners and cleaning in public spaces.
Gifts and souvenirs are cherished, and a culture of expressing gratitude is widespread.

[Bad Aspects]

They may be poor at asserting their personal opinions and have a tendency to avoid clashes of opinion.
A very strict work culture exists, and overtime work or death from overwork (karoshi) is sometimes seen as a problem.
Issues of discrimination or exclusion towards foreigners remain, and harmony with the international community is sometimes called into question.
There is an authoritarian tendency, and it is sometimes pointed out that they often accept the opinions of bosses or elders unconditionally.
It is a closed society, and it is sometimes criticized for having a tendency to struggle to accept outside cultures and values.

Today's Work Environment

Sun, 04 Sep 2022 14:29:09 +0900

Children’s Desk

The time when my children are sleeping is when I can focus on my work. Let’s go play at the park after nap time. If I only had a Lightning to HDMI adapter for my iPad, I could work at the desk on the right…

I Started a Blog

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 07:23:00 +0900

I Started a Blog

Something like fireworks, code is here

Hello everyone. Just on a whim, I decided to start a blog.

I don’t really have a grand purpose like “I want to broadcast this!”, but I thought it would be nice to have a place where I can just write down things about technology, daily life, or whatever comes to mind.

I’m not going to try too hard, and I plan to use it like a notepad.

Made with Hugo

This blog is made with a static site generator called “Hugo”. I found a nice theme, so I decided to use it on a whim. (It’s a secret that it took me about 2 hours to choose a theme)

I’ll casually write down things about code or tools I’m interested in as memos.

Morning Komeda Coffee Story

By the way, this morning, I woke up a bit early and went to Komeda Coffee. I left at 8:30, walking leisurely while breathing the morning air.

I ordered a Mini Shiro-Noir and Cafe Au Lait “A” Morning Set. I think it was about 800 yen? (I don’t remember)

Morning cafes are nice. Having some time to just space out before work makes me feel like the day will go well.

With that said, I’ll be writing casually from now on. I plan to mix in technical talks and daily life stuff.

Nice to meet you!