Hello friends and family!

I will be using this newsletter to give some general, poorly-researched and nearly entirely anecdotal musings to keep you in the loop about my life. I won’t be spamming these daily; they’ll be weekly or biweekly, depending on how much I want to share my musings.

I’ll still write tons of general cultural goods and thoughts about media at my blog, Two Second Street, so please subscribe there to get updates; I won’t be posting any more to social media. I also have plans to make some ambitious videos for my YouTube channel, Two Second Street, so subscribe there as well! Videos there will come out much more slowly, needless to say!

Main Story: Learning About Chiba

Since late March, I’ve been working at Kanda University of International Studies in Chiba Prefecture. That’s the prefecture, or state, due East of Tokyo. It has its own mascot, Chiba-kun, who is a big red dog. He’s also not-so-secretly the map of Chiba prefecture!

Kanda University, or KUIS, is about half-way between his chin and his neck, near the coast.

Since coming here, I’ve let my obsessive need to know arcane and esoteric things about my environment take full control, and I’ve been researching items to make a short video series for students about the hidden wonders at KUIS. My goal is to keep the language simple so that it can service more low and mid-level students, since they seem to get the scraps when it comes to materials development.

Two videos I’ve scripted and am planning to move forward with are about the phrase “Mens Sana in Corpore Sano,” which adorns the outside of the gymnasium, and about the origins and trends of grass roofs, since the library building has a park on top of it. The roof is slanted as well, so you can actually walk to and from the park without ever stepping foot inside the building. It also won some design awards, which seems to be a common theme for a lot of the buildings here!

Just a few fun facts I learned so far:

• John Hulley was a man from Liverpool who helped get England its own Olympic Foundation.

• The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were commissioned by Nebuchadnezzar II.

• Examples of sod roofs have been found in North America from old Inuit societies.

Something Fun

This is a photo from Luna Cafe Organic, a combination laundromat/cafe in Takadanobaba, a neighborhood in Tokyo near Ikebukuro. They specialize in organic dishes, specialty coffee drinks, and delicious-looking cakes and cookies. Certain drinks you can get in a plastic bear cup that you get to keep! My iced latte and bear mug were about 900 yen (~5.75 USD).

You can read more about it on my website/blog, Two Second Street.

What’s up with you? And a recommendation!

I want to include bits from other people who may have some things to share in my newsletter. If you don’t want anything included, that’s fine, too! I want this to be a way to get a conversation started or to give you an excuse to reach out to me. Don’t be shy!

I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts and interviews about AI, our relationship to technology, and Technoskepticism. Something I’ve been musing over has been how technology, tampered with by businessmen, is making things worse for everyone. I want to try and use my blog and newsletter to keep in touch with people I care about while also engaging with technology in a way I find constructive.

A podcast I really like to listen to is Cool Zone Media’s Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff. Not too long ago, they had a two-part series on the Luddites, and how they have been misunderstood through history. They weren’t simply anti-technology because they hated change or found it scary, but rather, because they found industrialization insulting towards craftsmen and artisans, cheapening their status as artists and creators. It’s a wild trip, and I recommend dedicating some time while you’re cooking or cleaning to give it a listen!

And with that, the first newsletter is finished! I added a few of you automatically, but if you don’t want these emails, feel free to unsubscribe. I won’t be insulted!

Best,

-Adam